


Dark Rain

by HotMolasses



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Alpha, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Mob, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Drunk Sex, Frottage, Handcuffs, Hannibal is a murderer-for-hire, M/M, Oral Knotting, Pheromones, Rimming, Will Graham is a cop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:28:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22220320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HotMolasses/pseuds/HotMolasses
Summary: Will Graham is an Alphan cop in the mob era, getting by alright in life despite his dark secret.  He's not attracted to Omegas, but to other Alphas. So far, he's managed to keep his secret safely hidden- that is until he stumbles upon another Alpha whose scent is so alluring he can't resist.  Now suddenly he finds himself in a dark alley with a handcuffed murderer on his knees, and yet he is far, far from being in control.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 93
Kudos: 444





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [tcbook](https://tcbook.tumblr.com/) for betaing this for me!

The rain was pounding hard as Will walked his beat. The department-issued umbrella did nothing in weather like this, the water splashing up from the pavement as high as his knees, soaking every part of his uniform except for his cap. He was drenched, cold, and could barely see a block in front of him in the darkness. Nobody with any legitimate business was out on the street at this hour, in this weather. Which, of course, was why he was working here. 

The torrential rain also drowned out nearly every sound, leaving Will unable to hear anything much beyond the pattering of drops that landed on his umbrella. The water also cleaned the air, erasing any scents of passing people, leaving Will in a sort of sensory bubble, unable to see, hear, or scent anything much at all. Which was why, when he heard a muffled thud from down an alleyway, he stopped to squint into the darkness. If that sound had been loud enough for him to hear under these conditions, something big must have fallen. He heard it again, followed by a loud splash. He crept into the alleyway, flashlight ready but not yet turned on, so as not to give away his position.

The sounds became unmistakable as those of a fistfight as he drew nearer, and Will put away his umbrella, hooking it onto his belt. He was going to need both hands. He clasped his police whistle between his teeth, drew his gun, and rounded the corner.

He flashed his light on and blew his whistle. He knew he’d kept the element of surprise, his scent and sounds obscured by the rain, as both figures froze to stare at him, momentarily confused. The light revealed two terrifyingly strong Alphas, both at each other’s throats, with snarling teeth and violence in their eyes. The taller one with the high cheekbones recovered from his surprise first, and he wrapped his hands around his adversary’s head and twisted it so quickly it took a moment for Will to process what had happened.

The figure dropped to the pavement with a thud, and then the Alpha turned to him, panting heavily and with fire in his eyes. He stalked forward and Will blew his whistle a second time, hoping that somehow another officer heard it- though he doubted it, in this weather. He then let it fall from his lips so he could speak.

“Halt! Police!” he said, in his most authoritative Alphan tone.

To his surprise, the Alpha halted. He was very close to Will now- only three steps away, but it was far enough. Will raised his gun and shined the light in the Alpha’s eyes.

“You are under arrest, for the murder of this man.” he said. “Hands behind your head.”

The Alpha looked directly into his eyes, somehow seeing him even with the light of the flashlight in his face. A chill ran down Will’s spine and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away. In his peripheral vision, he watched the Alpha raise his hands and fold them behind his head.

“Down on your knees.” His voice shook more than he wanted it to. He’d arrested plenty of Alphas before. He didn’t know why this one was getting to him. To his relief, he listened, and Will kept his gun trained on him as he slowly sank to his knees, causing a splash as they fell to the pavement.

Will’s training kicked in and he holstered his gun so he could reach into his pocket and get out his handcuffs. He kept his flashlight trained on the suspect as he circled him. He roughly grabbed his wrists and had him cuffed quickly, which was good; because a second later his brain registered how _warm_ his skin was, and Will felt a hot blush rush to his cheeks.

A second after that, and the Alpha’s scent wafted up to him. It was enticing and thick, and Will gave a soft moan as the deliciousness swirled into his lungs. He could not help himself but to lean in closer to get more of it. The rain poured down over both of them, so that Will pressed his nose directly to the Alpha’s neck, and he inhaled deep.

His eyes rolled back in his head and he grew weak in his knees. He had never scented anyone like this in his life. He knew he was attracted to Alphas, but he kept that secret hidden deep, buried in the darkness where no one would ever find it, and until this moment, no one had ever known.

“It seems,” the suspect said, “That we are having a similar effect on each other.”

Will’s heart raced when he heard his deep, thickly accented voice. He needed more of it. He needed to see his face. He needed to _kiss_ him.

What was wrong with him!?!?

He forced himself to his feet and walked around to face the suspect from the front.

Their eyes met again, shining in the light of Will’s flashlight, the drops of rain between them illuminating in the darkness. He was _beautiful_. The flush in Will’s cheeks grew hotter. The suspect then let his eyes fall, tracing slowly down Will’s body until they landed directly in front of him on the swelling bulge in Will’s trousers.

“I would love,” the suspect began, “To get out of this arrest somehow…” his eyes trailed back up Will’s chest to land on his nametag, his gaze alone causing Will’s hairs to stand on end and his cock to swell. “Officer Graham.”

Will shut his flashlight off and jammed it into the loop on his belt. He reached forward and roughly clasped his hand in the suspect’s hair, yanking his head back to force him to look up at him. In the darkness he could see little more than the glint of his eyes and the flash of his teeth, but he knew he was grinning. He knew how badly he had Will. Will was probably going to die for this.

He didn’t care. If this was how he was going to die, then so be it. 

“Tell me your name.”

“So you can cry it out in the throws of passion?”

“So I can put it on the arrest record.” he said, but his voice was little more than a whisper. The suspect leaned forward so that his mouth brushed against the fabric of Will’s soaked trousers when he spoke.

“Hannibal Lecter.” he said. 

Will’s blood should have turned cold at the name. One of the mob’s most notorious hitmen; wanted for more murders than Will could count. But his lips pressed a hard kiss to his swollen cock, and instead Will’s blood burned. 

“Convince me well enough, and you will get your wish.” he whispered. He tightened his fingers in Hannibal’s hair and with his free hand, opened the button on his fly. The zipper pulled down all too easily and then his bulging cock was free, springing forward to push against Hannibal’s lips, which parted immediately to take him in.

Hannibal sucked him down deep. Will’s moan was far louder than he’d intended and his knees grew weak. The scent of the Alpha rose up to his nostrils and he knew he was done for. He would die like this, and the other officers would find him, dead, cock out, with Alpha scent all over it. The world would know what he was and what he’d died for. Oh, and it was _worth_ it.

Those lips pressed tight around him, sucking hard as Hannibal pulled up. He let his teeth gently graze over the head, then closed his lips and sucked on the tip. Will’s free hand flew to his mouth to muffle his own scream. Hannibal parted his lips again, pushing them hard against Will’s erection as he swallowed him down, deep, deep, down into his throat. It occurred to Will he’d must have done this plenty of times before. He didn’t care.

When Hannibal’s nose gently bumped against his pubic hair, he lost it. He grabbed his face with both hands and began to fuck. He pulled his hips back and then snapped them forward, driving his cock down into the delicious, fleshy heat of Hannibal’s mouth. He heard his breaths coming fast when he pulled out and choking off when he shoved in, and his heart raced in his chest. He smelled the pleasure rising off of him, so thick now that the rain could not wash it away, bleeding up into Will’s nose, pouring down his throat, seeping into his blood.

He looked down and saw Hannibal’s eyes rolled far back in his head. He struggled a few times against his cuffs, and Will knew, beyond a doubt, that what he wanted to do with his hands was to pull Will closer. Will clutched his fingers in his hair, grasping tightly at the strands, amazed at how deeply they had both affected each other. He had never seen a face so lost; so recklessly abandoned, except on an Omega in heat. And this was so much more beautiful; to see something as powerful and raw as Hannibal Lecter reduced to a panting, moaning, needy thing on his knees, mouth eager for another Alpha’s cock- for _Will’s_ cock.

The thought drove him over the edge. His knot swelled too fast for him to do anything about it. Before he knew it he was plunging it into Hannibal’s throat. Hannibal swallowed him down, his throat constricting around him to crush his knot just like an Omega would, and Will doubled over as his orgasm was ripped from him. He clutched Hannibal’s head tightly against his pelvis as he poured his seed down his throat, wondering briefly if Hannbial would be the one to die from this, choking on Will’s knot and cum, and in his abandoned state he allowed himself to feel how much he liked the idea. 

The pulses slowed, and his mind came to him enough to realize that he wanted to do this again. That he _needed_ to do this again. And so he yanked his hips back, enough so that his knot was pulled out of Hannibal’s throat and filled his mouth, caught behind his teeth, unable to withdraw further. Hannibal gasped for air through his nose, hard breaths panting against the shaft of Will’s cock.

Will looked down at him and released his hair to brush his fingers gently across Hannibal’s cheek. He looked up at him, enraptured, eyes half-lidded, jaw wide open as his mouth was forced as wide as it could go by Will’s knot.

“I guess I wanted you to live.” he said, his voice nearly a purr. Hannibal’s eyes flashed a mischevious expression, and then he closed his mouth, crushing Will’s knot. The orgasm it set off overtook him in a thick wave, so powerful that his knees did indeed give out on him this time. He fell to the pavement, his knot pulling Hannibal down with him, until they were both laying in a puddle in the alley, Will writhing, his legs trying to wrap themselves around Hannibal but unable to because of his pants, Hannibal’s hands trying to clasp at Will but unable to because of his cuffs.

They were trapped together, neither one able to remedy the situation as long as Will’s knot was in Hannibal’s mouth. And neither wanted to remedy it. Each time Will felt his knot starting to deflate, Hannibal would suck, drawing blood to it, and then crush it with his tongue, milking him just as an Omega would. Each time, Will would scream, his voice muffled by the rain, their secret kept in the dark, his body trembling as his knot locked itself into Hannibal’s mouth and he poured his pleasure down into his throat.

It was half an hour before Will’s knot subsided enough that it popped out from between Hannibal’s teeth. Neither of them moved; both panting heavily on the ground in their prone positions. Hannibal moved first, and when he did, it was to lift his head to rest it on Will’s thigh and nuzzle him. Will reached down a hand and ran his fingers gently through his soaked blonde strands.

“Did I bring you pleasure, Alpha?” he asked, his voice sweet and thick as it plucked at Will’s heart with each word.

“Immensely.”

“You said you would like me to do it again.”

“I would.”

“I cannot do this for you if I am in prison.”

Will slipped his fingers beneath Hannibal’s chin and lifted his face to look up at him. He pulled them both to their feet and then drew his face close, crushing Hannibal’s exhausted mouth with his lips, tasting his own cum there and Hannibal’s delicious, intoxicating scent behind it. Will pulled away and reached into his pocket for his handcuff keys.

“I perfectly expect you to kill me, once I remove these.”

He slipped the key into the lock and turned. The metal rings released and Hannibal twisted away with the prowess of a lion, facing Will as he rubbed his wrists.

“I absolutely could.” he said.

Will put his cuffs away and lifted his head to look his adversary- and his lover- in the eyes.

“I know.”

Hannibal closed the distance between them and crushed his lips down onto Will’s for another hard, passionate kiss. They both moaned into each other, each eager to dart his tongue into the other’s mouth, drinking, tasting, needing.

When Hannibal pulled back they were both panting again, deep blushes in their cheeks.

“But I do not think I am able.” he finished. “I have never met a creature as delectable as you, Officer Graham.”

“Will.” he said.

“Will.”

Their gazes remained locked for what felt like eternity, their eyes now both so adjusted to the darkness that the illumination of windows far above them was enough to see by.

“It would be quite beneficial for me to have a friend on the police force.” Hannibal offered. Will snorted.

“Exchange sexual favors for me to turn a blind eye, tamper with evidence on your behalf?”

He did not like the idea of being on someone’s payroll. 

“No, that would be an employee.” Hannibal said. “And I chose the word…friend.”

Will’s eyes darted to the body lying beside them, then drifted back up to Hannibal’s face, and saw the sincerity there. Smelled it. Heard it in his voice.

“Mutual sexual partners, then.” Will said. “Each of us helping the other, whenever we are able.”

He saw the smile prick at the corner of Hannibal’s mouth.

“A far more palatable arrangement.”

“People will talk, seeing a beat cop walking up to Hannibal Lecter’s front door.”

“I have many ways for you to come to me without you being seen.” he said. “I own Black Moonlight, for example. A reputable establishment where no one would question a police officer going to relax at the end of a long shift.”

Will’s heart beat harder as he realized…he was going to get away with this. He was going to have a physical relationship with an Alpha…with _the_ Alpha of his dreams, and he was going to live to experience it again. And possibly again and again. Oh, he was sure that this kind of life was going to lead to him ending up dead in an alley someday. But probably not this week. Probably not even this month. And he would have lived his last days having something he’d never thought possible. A relationship with another Alpha. Another _very_ attractive, delicious Alpha, who clearly had the same proclivities he did.

“I will be there Tuesday night, 1 am.”

“I will be waiting.”

And with that, Hannibal turned and walked off into the rain, the sound of his shoes squishing as he walked fading rather quickly, before he’d even turned the corner onto the street. Will looked down at the body and realized Hannibal had trusted him to decide what to do with it; to hide it or to report it. It was both a test and also a declaration of trust, and he smiled to himself, his heart so warm that his blood still burned despite the cold of the rain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back by popular demand, here's two more chapters of this!  
> I hope you're all happy, now I'm roped into a longfic (yay!).  
> Don't worry, I'll see this through to the end. (cause I love this story and I can't believe you all love it too!)

Hannibal sat in the private room of Black Moonlight on Tuesday night as he did every night- a fine rib-eye dinner on his plate and an even finer illegal Pinot Noir in his glass beside it, imported directly from France. He normally kept an eye on his establishment during the busiest business hours through the one-way mirror that lined the private room, ensuring that no business went on in his business without him knowing. 

But on Tuesday night, he took particular care not to glance over to the tables any more frequently than he usually did, lest he give away his anticipation to any of those who sat around his table. While Doctor Chilton and Miss Du Maurier were quite useful in their skillsets, he trusted neither of them, nor any of the company they kept. One o’clock came and went, and Hannibal only glanced out at the tables just once between then and a quarter past, barely long enough to notice who had come and gone.

“Who is _that_?” he heard Miss Lounds say softly to Doctor Chilton. Both Omegas often whispered to each other in admiration of the Alphas that came and went through Hannibal’s establishment, and for the most part he ignored them. Their tastes were not his.

“I assure you I don’t know, but I would love to get to know him.” Chilton replied, both of their heads turning at the same slow pace as their gazes followed whomever they fancied across the floor. Hannibal took the moment as an opportunity to glance out, and immediately his eyes fell on the Alpha they were talking about. A dapper, pin-striped suit with matching fedora moved smoothly among the tables, the hat brim blocking most of the face but none of the beauty. He moved with the confidence of an Alpha but also with grace, hips swinging with just enough finesse to be attractive without appearing Omegan. 

He took a seat at the bar and ordered, and it wasn’t until his scotch arrived and he lifted his face for a sip that Hannibal saw his reflection in the mirror behind the bar. His breath caught in his throat, and now he couldn’t help but stare. While Will had displayed a sort of authority as a police officer, now he carried himself with another sort of confidence. The kind of confidence a man had when he had nothing to lose and knew what he had to offer. As Hannibal stared, the crowd around him faded slowly from his attention until Will was the only thing left he could see. Hannibal’s cheeks grew warm and he was careful to still his facial expression, even more than usual.

“Who is he, Doctor Lecter?” Miss Lounds asked, batting her eyelashes in a manner that surely manipulated lesser Alphas.

“As yet undiscovered. I believe I will make an introduction.” he said, a phrase he’d used a million times whenever someone who appeared rich or powerful walked into his speakeasy uninvited by him. He finished off the last sip of his wine (he wasn’t about to waste that) and then handed the empty glass to Jimmy, only one of two waiters that he trusted to serve in his private back room. 

It was vitally necessary that he not act towards Will in any way that gave away their previous meeting. And it was impossible. Hannibal could not tear his gaze away as he made his way across the crowded floor, his eyes tracing over the fine lines of Will’s _perfectly_ tailored suit as he leaned with one elbow on the bar, imagining the body beneath. A body that he desperately wanted to see. It was all he could do not to lick his lips outright as he thought of, then shoved away, memories of their previous encounter.

He could do nothing about the other thought, however. It was too simple and struck to deeply for him to push it away at all. The thought that Will had come here. That alone said so much; about his intentions, about the future and all its possibilities, and Hannibal could not stop the flush that rose to his cheeks.

* * *

Will sat at the bar for what felt like an eternity. He nursed the scotch that he’d ordered slowly; after all, it wasn’t often that he was able to get such a strong drink, and it wouldn’t be a good idea to get tipsy. That, and he couldn’t afford a second one, and so he had to make this last. Not that he thought Hannibal would actually show up personally, but he had no illusions that his presence would remain secret from the man. Men like Hannibal kept a close eye on everything that happened in their establishments, and Will had no doubts that his every move was being watched from afar.

He shrugged off a few advances of Omegas, claiming to be here on business, trying not to roll his eyes at their disappointed little pouts as they left his company. His drink was down to just a few sips when he inhaled and a very familiar, intoxicating scent made his entire body tense.

He lifted his eyes, tilting his head just enough to see from under his hat. He saw Hannibal’s unmistakable figure, moving with assurance and authority through the crowd, the people around him giving passing glances and then turning away just in time to not be rude. Still, all eyes were on the boss of the speakeasy as he made his way to Will’s side. Will rose to his feet, as was proper for greeting such an important person, and also to adjust himself as his cock was already stirring with interest from such a delectable scent.

“Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, good sir.” Hannibal said, reaching out his hand for a shake. Will reached out and took it, his heart beating hard as he felt Hannibal’s warm palm. His gaze didn’t help Will’s situation, as his eyes burned into him with deep intent. “My name is Doctor Lecter, head of this establishment.”

Will did his best to give as normal a handshake as possible, then forced himself to let go and stand still, rather than fall forward and crush Hannibal’s lips with a kiss, as he desperately wanted to do. Hannibal took a step back, and let his eyes fall from Will’s face to trace slowly down over his throat, then his chest. They lingered, just a little too long on the growing bulge in Will’s trousers, then fell down over his thighs and to his feet. Hannibal dragged his vision back up just as slowly, and Will’s skin pricked with heat as he could smell the desire springing up in Hannibal’s scent.

Their eyes locked and for a moment neither moved. Fear gripped Will’s heart; had anyone noticed such a display? Would this simple meeting alone be their undoing?

“Will…Foster.” he said, throwing out an old girlfriend’s last name. 

“Excellent to meet you, Will Foster. Come, let me give you a proper welcome.”

Hannibal turned to put his arm around Will’s shoulders, a gesture that signified Will was either a close friend, or about to be dead. Hannibal’s scent washed over him so strongly he had to close his eyes to breathe it in. When he felt a tug around his neck he went, allowing himself to be led, for now. They were, after all, in Hannibal’s territory this time, and Will had better follow his lead if they had any hope of not being discovered.

As they neared the back of the place, the curious eyes turned away and normal chatter resumed. Will felt himself relax as the attention faded away from them. So far nobody was thinking anything was out of the ordinary.

Hannibal pulled a key out of his pocket and slipped it into a mirrored door. It opened and they walked up three wooden steps into a room full of people, to Will’s disappointment.

“Everyone, I would like you to meet Will Graham.” Hannibal said, not removing his arm from around Will’s neck. Will tensed at the use of his real name and turned to glare up at Hannibal’s face. In it he saw eyes of steel. So that was how it was going to be. Will set his jaw and glared right back, letting the smallest tip of his tongue dart out between his lips to lick along them until he smelled a prick of arousal in Hannibal’s scent. It was quickly followed by a tang of fear as Hannibal realized that Will was not afraid to destroy himself in order to take Hannibal down with him. Satisfied, Will allowed the arm around his neck to guide him to a red velvet chair. “Have a seat, Mr. Graham.” he said sharply.

Hannibal practically shoved him into the chair, and Will went, trying his damnedest not to appear awkward in front of a crowd like this. He knew right away these people were made up of Hannibal’s closer associates. The ladies were all dressed to the nines in fine furs and expensive pearls, the gentlemen all wearing suits Will couldn’t afford on a year’s salary. 

Hannibal sat down in the chair beside him, at the head of the table, and tapped his wine glass. Immediately a thin, blonde waiter darted over with a bottle of red wine and filled Hannibal’s glass.

“And some for my friend, Mr. Graham.”

The Omega nodded and gave Will a sheepish smile as he filled his glass. Hannibal lifted his glass and the others at the table followed his lead. Will lifted his as well, and as the glasses all clinked Hannibal spoke.

“To new friends.” he said.

“To new friends!” they replied.

Will took a sip, the blush in his cheeks deepening, now half from alcohol. He couldn’t remember that last time he’d drank so much, and he had a feeling he was about to have a lot more.

“So, Mr. Graham, where are you from?” a beautiful Omega with tight red curls asked, leaning her chin forward to rest on a gloved hand.

“Oh, I’ve lived in the city all my life.” he said.

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of you.” she said, tone half accusatory, half genuinely curious.

“That’s because there’s nothing to hear.” he said. “I’m unremarkable.”

“Oh I wouldn’t say that.” she said, batting her eyes at him. “An Alpha of your…stature isn’t common to come by.”

Will tried to think of what to say, anything to say. Social graces were not his strong point.

“Miss Lounds, I did not bring my new guest here to be accosted by your advances.” Hannibal said. A blonde Alpha woman laughed loudly at that as she lifted her glass of wine up to the waiter for a refill, even though it was already half full.

“Oh do go easy on her, Dr. Lecter. You know Freddie will accost anything that looks even mildly interesting.”

“Miss Du Maurier, I object quite viciously to that! I’ll have you know I have impeccable taste. I won’t swallow down just anything that’s been fermented.”

Will had to struggle not to laugh at the offended face Miss Du Maurier pulled.

“Girls, please. We are all friends here.” Hannibal interrupted. “By which I mean, you are all friends of mine, each of you with your uses, and Will here, as well.”

“Ah, so you _do_ know him, you slick liar!” Freddie accused.

“Indeed, I do. And I have brought him here for his particular set of influences, just as all of you.”

“And what do _you_ do, Mr. Graham?” Freddie asked.

Will saw the glint in Hannibal’s eye as he folded his fingers under his chin. He knew better than to lie now, after Hannibal had given out his real name to all of these characters. There was already no turning back. He was all in, and it was swim or die.

“Nothing important. Just a regular police officer.”

Some of the faces were stone as they stared at him. Dr Chilton’s in particular; he seemed the sort to be most concerned with his own self-preservation and little else. Freddie was the first to laugh, lifting her glass of wine into the air with glee.

“A police officer! The first on the front lines. Sure, it helps to have the commissioner in our pocket, but there’s only so much he can do from the top, when he never leaves his plush office. Mr. Graham is out there on a daily beat. Oh, there’s no telling what good he can do from such a position.”

The others cheered their agreement and then normal chatter sprang up in the room, the conversation turning to all the ways having a police officer as an ally was helpful. Will was pattered with questions, but thankfully these were ones he could answer; where his usual beat was, what crimes he’d been involved in investigating, how easy it was for him to get evidence on old cases.

As the night wore on and the wine kept flowing, he found his lips loosening further and further, getting caught up in the boisterous laughter of those around him as he became more and more drunk. The glances that Hannibal snuck his way became longer and more languid, and the drunker he became, the longer Will held those gazes.

Around three in the morning, Hannibal rose from his chair and raised his glass for a final toast.

“I’m afraid the evening is coming to an end.” he said. 

“Oh Haaaaanibal, please, another hour!” Miss Du Maurier slurred.

“No, darling, it’s time to call it a night. To tomorrow.” he toasted.

“To tomorrow!” they all shouted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to add some tags because of this chapter. (Rimming. So much rimming).

Their glasses clinked for the last toast, and then everyone rose from their chairs, gentleman Alphas holding up the Omega’s coats to drape them over their shoulders, followed by cheerful salutations as the noisy, drunken conversation spilled out into the main dining room.

When Will stepped towards the door to leave, Hannibal turned and stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

“I do hope you weren’t intending to leave so soon.”

His breath, thick with wine and arousal, poured into Will’s mouth, and he lasted just long enough to hear the door click closed behind the last person.

“I thought they’d never leave.” Will said, so drunk he couldn’t be anything but honest, and then his lips fell forward to press hard against Hannibal’s.

The kiss he received in return was just as passionate. Their tongues emerged, sloppy and heated, each groaning as they tasted, chasing the flavor, eager for more. Hannibal’s hands rose to rest on Will’s hips, and he pulled him closer, where Will felt the bulge in his trousers press hard against his own. Drunk on wine and drowning in Hannibal's intoxicating scent, Will ground against it, rubbing their cocks hard against each other as he licked his way deeper into Hannibal’s mouth.

“Will.” Hannibal groaned softly, pushing back just as hard, their arms entwining around each other so that there wasn’t an inch of space between them. Will’s lips left Hannibal’s to trail down his neck, leaving wet, sloppy kisses as he went, until he buried his nose against Hannibal’s scent gland and inhaled deeply. They both moaned together, and then Hannibal’s lips were sucking at Will’s neck in return, and he already knew he would have several hickies in the morning.

“Mmmph. Not here.” Hannibal said. “I have a suite upstairs.”

It took every ounce of willpower he had to pull away, but he managed. Hannibal reached up to reposition his hat and straighten his tie, and within seconds he looked like nothing at all had happened, save for a mild blush in his cheeks. Will, however, felt as though his desire was written all over his face, and was relieved when Hannibal didn’t turn back towards the dining room, but to another door in the back. It led to a staircase, the top of which came out into a finely decorated sitting room, with large oak double doors on the far wall. 

“Through there are several rooms where I provide accommodations for my guests and business associates.” he said. “But no one has the keys to this suite except for me. We need not fear being interrupted.” he said, as he closed the door to the staircase behind Will and locked it. Nerves shot up Will’s spine and cooled his blood for a moment, as the risk he was taking made itself apparent. But then he inhaled, and Hannibal’s delicious scent erased any rational thoughts from his mind.

“This way.”

Hannibal led him across the room to another door, and in Will’s drunken haze he barely noticed the décor of the room, other than that everything was dark colors and appeared lavishly expensive. In the next room, he noticed little else except for the large, king-sized bed, adorned with dark red pillows and a bedspread woven with gold thread.

A warm palm on his cheek turned his attention away from that, and then Hannibal’s lips were pressing to his again, his breath as sweet as the wine they had drank and even more delicious. Their hands both moved eagerly to undress, ties and belts and buttons being unfastened, until flushed and bare they fell to the bed, never parting from each other for a second. Hannibal slipped his hand down to wrap it around the base of Will’s cock and he groaned loudly, tipping his head back in pleasure. That earned him lips to his throat, where Hannibal kissed hungrily over his larynx, gently nipping at it with his teeth.

“You are delectable.” he said, his voice a low growl that sent sparks down Will’s spine. “I would greatly enjoy tasting every part of you.”

“Taste away.” Will whispered, barely able to form words as Hannibal’s hand began to stroke him. His lips dragged slowly down his chest, his tongue emerging to lick at every part of Will’s skin. When he reached a nipple he lapped at it, steady and wet, making Will arch his back and cry out, his voice echoing off the ornately papered walls. Hannibal was relentless, bringing his free hand up to Will’s other nipple, until he was feeling so much sensation he was drowning, his brain nothing more than a puddle, his body nothing more than heated desire. 

When Hannibal’s attentions moved lower, Will was actively rocking his hips into his hand, his hands splayed wide across Hannibal’s back to hold him close. Hannibal’s tongue darted out and pressed against the swollen head of his cock, and Will cried out again, his voice not able to form anything coherent. 

Hannibal pressed his tongue hard to Will’s cock and dragged down the full length of it, then ran over Will’s balls, licking each of them reverently, paying no mind to his pubic hair. His cheeks flushed crimson as he had never felt that before from anyone; all of his previous bedmates had been shy little Omegas who did little more than let him fuck them. He’d never had a lover before who took charge like this, who was an _Alpha_ , and he craved it. Had been all his life, and now here was one so charismatic, so irresistible, literally licking his way down his thighs and pushing his legs open with his hands.

When Hannibal’s tongue pushed its way between his ass cheeks he yelped and gave a jump, having never felt anything like that before in his life. But Hannibal wasn’t one to be deterred by a little squirming. He pushed after what he wanted, his strong hands holding Will’s legs apart, his tongue eagerly lapping at his hole like it belonged to an Omega. After a few seconds the surprise wore off and it started to feel good. Then really good. Then the wine kicked in and he stopped caring about being shy, and he tilted his head back and let out a long, satisfied groan. Hannibal reached up with a hand and began to stroke Will’s cock again, and his blood rushed through his veins, hot and thick.

“Haaaanibal.” he said, his cheeks flushed red and his ears blooming crimson. Hannibal’s reply was to push his tongue against Will so hard it slipped inside.

“ _Fuck_.” he cried, his fingers wrapping into Hannibal’s hair, his long, straight strands tangling between his fingers. Hannibal was undeterred, pushing his tongue in and out of Will hard, and he liked it, he liked it so much more than he thought he would. His cock swelled with want, the tip dark purple with need, his precum dripping down onto his stomach in a long string. When he felt Hannibal’s finger come up to press beside his tongue, he cried out

“Yes!”

He swore he felt Hannibal grin. His finger pushed into him alongside the tongue, everything wet with saliva. It still burned; an Alpha was not made for this, but Will didn’t care, everything felt so good, smelled so good, tasted so good.

“More.”

Hannibal didn’t need to be encouraged. Slowly he pushed his finger in and out, his head still buried between Will’s legs, tongue still pushing its way into him beside the finger, which went in much, much deeper. Will groaned as he felt himself penetrated for the first time. It felt strange but also amazing, to have an Alpha inside him, to _want_ to be inside him, to take what he wanted without Will having to take charge. He already liked the idea, was already hot from it, when Hannibal pressed against a spot that felt _incredibly good_.

His head swam with pleasure and alcohol, his blood burning with fire as lust swelled between his legs. He saw his knot starting to form, on his completely neglected cock, and he didn’t even consider reaching down to help it along. He wanted this to _last_. They were not in a rainy alley this time. There was no reason to rush this tonight. They had all the privacy and time in the world.

Hannibal rose up onto his knees, hand disappearing between Will’s legs, and Will was not prepared for the expression he saw on his face. He was _enraptured_. His eyes were closed in absolute bliss, his tongue sticking out slightly between his lips like he had just tasted the finest of wines. He pushed his finger into Will slowly, tilting his head as he listened to Will groan, as if savoring every note from him. Will’s eyes traced down his lithe body; muscular and fit, Will had no doubt he was strong enough to kill with ease whomever needed killing. Between his legs rose a proud, swollen cock, as dark purple as Will’s, with long streaks of precum dripping from the tip.

The saliva on Hannibal’s finger began to dry, and it caught roughly on Will’s rim. He grunted and winced, and Hannibal pulled it out completely.

“No. Use…this.” Will said, reaching down to brush his fingers across the tip of Hannibal’s cock, coating them. At the touch Hannibal’s eyes closed and he gave a soft moan. A rush of lust sprang through Will’s veins and he forgot about what he wanted. He needed to hear more of that sound. He sat up and wrapped his fingers around the head, feeling it swell beneath his fingers as Hannibal’s knot began to show interest.

“Or it’s my turn.” he said, beginning to stroke. Hannibal opened his mouth and for a moment Will thought he was going to say something, but all that came out was a long, drawn-out groan.

“Yeah, you want this.” Will said, lying back and tugging at Hannibal to come with him. “Come here.”

Hannibal came, unquestioningly, letting himself be guided until he was lying beside Will, and Will realized that in the state he was in, he could have probably made him go anywhere, or do anything. Hannibal surely could do that to Will. He’d already convinced him to dispose of a body for him, without even having to ask. 

Will leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to Hannibal’s lips. He began to stroke him in earnest, hearing Hannibal’s breaths quicken as he went, and he wanted it, oh how he wanted to be with him, to fuck him, to be fucked by him. He wanted to do it all and have it all, and he was going to, whatever it took.

He scooted closer until their cocks brushed together. Two Alphan cocks were too thick for one hand to wrap around them both but Will figured out easily what to do. He pushed Hannibal’s cock against his own and began to rut. Pleasure swam through his blood and he groaned.

“Oh, yes.” he said, and Hannibal hummed agreement, bringing his own hands between them to help. Together they held their cocks against each other's and rutted, the bed starting to rock and creak with their frantic movements. Their precum slipped down and coated them both, turning their hands into a makeshift Omega, their knots both swelling until they surely would have been locked, had they been inside someone.

Then Hannibal took both hands and clasped their knots together, hard. Will screamed from pleasure, all of it pouring out of him in huge waves that splashed over the top, mixing with Hannibal’s. His hands trembled as his orgasm released, but he kept them tightly clasped over both of their knots, riding the intense pleasure as it came in wave after wave. 

Will’s first orgasm faded and he collapsed to the bed, his knot still fully secure between Hannibal’s strong fingers. It felt incredible to be held like this; to be held by someone who _wanted_ to stay knotted to him, not because his body forced him to. Hannibal had all the free power in the world to let go, but he kept the pressure on them both, keeping their knots conjoined together, both bodies aching from pleasure and release.

Then Hannibal squeezed them again, just as an Omega’s body would. They both cried out this time, each of them writhing as lust overtook them and their seed splashed out, covering their hands, their cocks, everything. Hannibal panted as he fell to the bed, sweat beading on his brow, his eyes barely open more than slits. Will gazed into them and saw absolute bliss, and he knew his expression was the same. 

“Shall we do one more?” Hannibal panted. Will was exhausted, but nothing in the world would prevent him from nodding again. Hannibal pressed forward to crush a kiss to his lips, and squeezed again. Will’s eyes rolled back in his head as he succumbed to another wave of intensity, his body throbbing as his cock convulsed and released his seed alongside Hannibal’s. 

Hannibal’s hands let go, and they collapsed to the bed, knots still swollen, but now free and satisfied. Will reached out a hand and brushed Hannibal’s hair from his eyes. Hannibal brought his sticky hand to his lips and began to suck on his fingers, not tentatively but pushing them all the way into his mouth to suck off as much of their cum as he could. Had Will not been so bonelessly satisfied he might have laughed, but as it was Hannibal was so sexy to him that anything he did was also sexy. 

Will felt a kiss press to his forehead, and realized that he’d dosed off. He opened his eyes to see his Alpha’s face, looking at him affectionately, almost with awe.

“I did not know I was capable of being so taken.” Hannibal said. “You have undone me, Will Graham.”

Will tried to think of a response but could only smile, too sated and too drunk to stay awake a moment longer. He’d gotten everything he’d ever wanted, and it had been perfect. 

“Perfect.” he managed to say, and nothing more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote 3 more chapters, enjoy! ^_^

Will was awakened by the loud ringing of the telephone beside the bed. Used to his job calling him at all hours to cover shifts, his mind groggily tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. When it stopped ringing after two rings his sleepy mind thought nothing of it, and he started to doze off.

That was until he heard a knock at the door followed by an unfamiliar female voice.

“Dr. Lecter, I am so sorry to disturb you, but it’s Mr. Verger on the line.”

Will’s eyes flew open with a spike of nerves. Dr. Lecter. Whose bed he was in. Naked.

He felt the Alpha beside him roll over and reach for the bedside lamp. The light clicked on, revealing the thick, drawn curtains that kept out the sunlight except for a bright sliver at the bottom. Will rubbed his eyes as Hannibal reached for the phone beside the bed.

“Yes, Mary, I’ve got it, thank you. Be a dear and start some breakfast.”

Will glanced over at the alarm clock on the nightstand, and was surprised to see it say a quarter past three. Perhaps it was wrong?

“Good afternoon Mr. Verger. How may I be of assistance?”

Not wrong, then.

But considering how late they’d gone to bed, how drunk he’d been, and what they’d done before sleeping…he supposed it wasn’t all that surprising to have slept this late. He usually woke up around noon.

Come to think of it, he usually woke up periodically, dreams plagued by nightmares, the noise of his neighbors who had day jobs, the dogs needing to go out. In fact he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so…well.

“Yes, I understand. It will be taken care of. Is there a deadline?”

Hannibal reached for a slip of paper and began to jot some notes. Will’s eyes lingered on his hands, admiring his penmanship, which was almost calligraphic. His fingers too, so controlled and sure of themselves, pressing the pen evenly to the paper so that the ink flowed with precision. His ears burned red as he realized he was admiring _hands_. He had it bad. Oh, he was so in over his head.

“Yes, I have all the details. You needn’t worry about a thing. Goodbye, Mr. Verger.”

Hannibal hung up and turned to face Will, who was still lying in the bed, completely unsure of himself. He had no idea what the protocol was here. The few Omegas he’d slept with had all stayed in _his_ bed, and had all left before the night had ended. 

His thoughts faded when fingers brushed tenderly along his cheek, then up to his forehead to push an unruly curl away from his eyes. He looked up at the face that belonged to that hand and saw…endearment. 

“What a beautiful sight to wake up to.”

Hannibal’s breath washed over Will’s face as he spoke, and though it should have been repulsive after sleeping, it was anything but. Will tilted his face towards Hannibal’s palm and kissed it. His heart raced from his flavor, his scent, the entire situation. Hannibal leaned over Will and pressed his lips down hard against his, smushing his head into the overly soft pillow. He gave a quiet moan and turned to get closer, only to find that literally every part of him was sticky.

He must have pulled a face, because Hannibal moved back and gave a little laugh.

“Passion does make a mess.” he said. “Since you are my guest, I shall let you get cleaned up first. The washroom is through there.”

Will avoided thinking deeply about anything by focusing on just the current situation. No matter what else, he would have to wash. So he rose and walked through the door Hannibal had pointed to. 

It was the most luxurious washroom he’d ever seen. Not the cramped tub and tiny sink he had in his apartment. This tub was spacious, porcelain white with ornate golden clawed feet. Above it hung a polished metal shower ring, and even the curtain was decorative, with white lace draped around the outside of the more utilitarian curtain that kept the water in.

It took him a few twists of several knobs to even figure it out, then get it to a suitable temperature. But once he stepped in and the stickiness began to wash away, he gave a relaxed sigh, and unfortunately began to think.

He had just spent the night in an Alpha’s bed. Not just any Alpha, either. A known criminal, an associate of Mason Verger himself, whom had evidently just phoned him. Directly. Will leaned his head down and let the hot water run over his shoulders and through his hair, trying to stop his brain from running too far with this. But his thoughts ran; right to Lieutenant Crawford questioning him in the interrogation room about the body they’d found; and somehow they’d figured out Hannibal was the killer and Will had helped him and oh, they were lovers; it was such a scandal it couldn’t even be printed in the paper, no, instead they would cook up a story about how Hannibal was blackmailing Will into helping him, or bribing him with money, yes, Will was a cop on the take, done in by greed, not by lust for an Alpha, because that was unspeakable…

The water turned cold and Will yelped. Hurriedly he dialed all the knobs until he finally got the water to shut off. Shivering, he yanked back the curtain and pulled a neatly folded towel off of a shelf beside the tub. He vigorously dried himself, both to try to warm up and to make sure he’d gotten all of it off. Then he went to get dressed- and realized he’d left all of his clothes out in the bedroom.

Suddenly it seemed improper to just walk out into Hannibal’s bedroom stark naked. Things were different in the light of day. The consequences of what he had done- of what he was continuing to do- seemed heavier. And he had a headache from all the drinking.

He looked around and saw several bathrobes, folded as neatly as the stack of towels beside them. With relief he pulled it on, glad to have something to cover himself, not that it honestly made any difference. His mind went back to the things they had done last night, and a blush immediately rose to his cheeks. He could hardly believe his own behavior. Then he remembered just how incredible it had felt. Oh, he was going to do it again.

He stepped out into the bedroom, and for the first time, saw Hannibal’s face clearly in the light. It was _gorgeous_. Sharp, sure features, high cheekbones, and the most kissable lips he’d ever seen in his life. The face turned towards him with reverence; provocative brown eyes gazing at him as if he were an expensive dessert. The eyes raked down over his body, seeing him as if he was wearing nothing at all, and suddenly he felt silly for putting the robe on. So he took it off.

“Habit.” he said, tossing it over the back of a chair. Hannibal rose, his body as sticky as Will’s had been, and suddenly Will didn’t know what all the fuss had been about. Hannibal stepped towards him and it was impossible to say who kissed who. They came together, meeting at the middle, both as eager as the other to press their lips together. Will lifted a hand and put it on Hannibal’s gorgeous cheek, and he was lost. Lost in the taste of him, the scent, the sight. He pulled back and tried to say so.

“I am overcome by you.”

Brilliant brown eyes gazed back into his.

“As am I.”

Will gave him another long kiss, but then he gently pulled away.

“I unfortunately do have duties I must attend to.” Hannibal replied.

“I…may have used up all your hot water.”

Hannibal raised a hand and tenderly brushed his fingertips along Will’s cheek.

“A small price to pay for your presence in my bed.”

Hannibal gave him a chaste kiss to his cheek, and looked almost pained as he pulled away. He backed towards the washroom, almost as if he were unable to tear his eyes off of Will, until he was through the door and was out of his sight. 

Will stared at the empty doorway for a long time, unable to think or move. He heard the shower turn on and gave a small smile at the idea of Hannibal shivering under it. He’d never known anyone before who would happily take a cold shower for him. He’d never known anyone before who was happy to know him. Well, other than his dogs.

“Oh shoot.” he said. He walked over to the phone and dialed his neighbor, a number he knew by heart because of how many times he’d asked her to dog-sit.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Bev, it’s Will. Listen, could you…”

“I already walked and fed the dogs, took in your mail, and put the milk in the fridge.”

He gave a short laugh and wanted to hug her through the phone.

“What would I do without you?”

“Um…have a lot of puppy puddles to clean up?”

“Remind me to take you out to dinner. My treat. Anywhere you want.”

“Are you propositioning me, Will Graham? You know I’m a beta.”

“Don’t make me hit you.”

“Fine. I’ll think of a place. When are you coming home?”

“I…don’t really know. Jack made me work a double. We’re real short-handed today.”

“One day I’m going to give that boss of yours a piece of my mind.”

“And he’ll be sorry.” he said. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

“Bye, Graham.”

Will hung up with a grin on his face, and turned just in time to see Hannibal walking out of the washroom, stark naked and toweling his hair. Will couldn’t help his gaze from dropping to stare at his large Alphan cock, hanging far below his balls even when he wasn’t turned on. 

“Something amusing?” Hannibal said, a playful smile on his own lips.

“I was just talking to my neighbor. Well, friend, really. She feeds my dogs whenever I’m late getting home. Which is often.”

“Ah. A good friend is difficult to come by. I hope you appreciate her.” Hannibal said, walking over to the dresser and pulling out undergarments.

“I do.” Will said, glancing down at his own clothes, which were strewn about the room like a pair of animals had gone at them. Which was pretty much accurate.

“Would you like to borrow some clothing? I am certain I could find something in your size.”

“I guess…it depends on what our plans are.”

Hannibal paused, half-dressed in underclothes with an unbuttoned shirt pulled on.

“For the day, or for the future?”

Will swallowed, his throat suddenly getting tight. He supposed a conversation like this was inevitable. If they were going to have a relationship- and he wanted one- it couldn’t all be just amazing sex. There had to be _life_ in there, which included obligations and logistics and all manner of mundane things besides.

“I guess…both.”

He raised his eyes to meet Hannibal’s, and their gazes locked, each studying the other, trying to know the depth of him.

“I am pleased to know that you consider us to have a future.”

“I want one.”

“As do I.”

Will nodded, and could no longer keep the eye contact. He let his gaze wander to the carpet, where he traced over the pattern, golden leaves swirling on a background of dark blue.

“Then…I guess…tell me your plans for the day?”

It was too awkward to have this conversation naked, especially when Hannibal no longer was. Will leaned down and picked up his clothes from the floor, which were wrinkled and sweaty and had wine stains on them. He didn’t care. He started to put them on anyway, and though he was certain Hannibal didn’t approve, he also didn’t say anything.

“I have received an assignment to kill a butcher, who did not heed Mr. Verger’s warning about not encroaching on his customers.” Hannibal said as he knotted his tie in the mirror. “Normally I do a fair amount of reconnaissance first, though in this case I shouldn’t need much, as accidents in butcher shops are so very common.”

Will nodded as he listened. It took him a moment to process that Hannibal was talking about _actually killing a man_ , because of his casual, everyday tone. Then again, for him, this probably was and everyday activity.

“How many have you…?” Will started, before he realized that was probably a very personal question. Not that they hadn’t already been very personal towards each other.

“Hundreds.” he said as he fastened his cufflinks. “I don’t keep a tally.”

Will finished tucking in his shirt while he attempted to process that. Hundreds. The police only suspected a few dozen, and even those, they could never prove. He had never left any evidence. Had never been caught. That was, until Will had caught him, and then had promptly set him free, knowing _exactly_ who he was.

“You appear deeply contemplative. Are you having second thoughts about pursuing this road with me?”

“No.” he said, and while Hannibal’s facial expression hadn’t changed at all, he could smell the tinge of relief in the air. “No. It’s just a lot to take in, that’s all.”

Hannibal gave a satisfied nod. He then turned to pick Will’s jacket up off the floor and tried to shake some of the wrinkles out. He held it open behind Will, and he blushed as he turned and slipped his arm into the sleeve, allowing Hannibal to help him dress. 

When his jacket was on, Hannibal leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Will’s waist. He slowly fastened his buttons, his sure hands tugging at the fabric to rid it of wrinkles. Will leaned back into him, and when he was finished he kept his hands there, holding Will as he rested his head on his shoulder.

“If you are to be with me, it will corrupt you.” he whispered.

“It’s too late for that.” Will said softly, turning his head to press a kiss against Hannibal’s cheek. “I already hid my first murdered body in the river.”

He heard Hannibal inhale softly, and smelled that he was pleased. Will smiled. “Were you wondering what I’d done with it?”

“I was, yes.”

“But you weren’t going to ask.”

“I was hoping that you would reveal it to me on your own. And you have.”

Will gave a soft smile, and then they were kissing again. He could get used to life like this; neither of them able to resist each other, both drawn in against a pull that was impossible to fight.

There came a soft knock on the far door of the sitting room, and Will jumped into a straight posture.

“Dr. Lecter, your lunch is ready.” Mary’s voice shouted through the closed door. “Will you be eating in the dining room?”

“Yes, I’ll be down in a moment.”

He turned to Will and stroked his cheek.

“It’s alright. All my staff are betas, to prevent them from suspecting the type of company I keep.”

Will nodded, though the tension was still in his shoulders. 

“I’d still rather they didn’t see me.”

“Yes, of course. There is a back entrance that leads to the typewriter shop. You will look like nothing more than a customer. Brian- my clerk who runs the shop- can be trusted implicitly.”

Will nodded and furrowed his brow.

“I really should check in with work. Jack’s probably foaming at the mouth by now, from not being able to find me.”

“Are you late for your shift?”

“According to him, it’s always my shift and I’m always late for it.”

Will saw Hannibal set his jaw, and wondered if he hadn’t just signed Lieutenant Crawford’s death certificate. He wondered if that would bother him, if he allowed himself to think about it.

“When shall I see you again?”

Will blushed and turned his face away, but knew Hannibal saw the small smile that sprang to his face.

“As soon as my shift is over tonight.” he said. “Probably around one again.”

He felt Hannibal’s hand slide into his own, and then he lifted it and kissed the back of his knuckles. Will’s blush deepened and he had to close his eyes.

“I will be waiting.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags for this chapter: Blood, gore, canon-typical violence.

Will hadn’t stepped two feet out of the locker room before was immediately accosted by Lieutenant Crawford.

“Will! Where have you been all day?”

“Well, first I was asleep, because I work until midnight, but you know that. Then I was grocery shopping, a man’s gotta eat. Then I went to the bank…”

“Fine, fine. Grab Bloom and Radio Car Seven, you’re on the Main-to-Washington patrol tonight.” Jack bellowed, waving his clipboard in Will’s face before turning around to shout at someone else.

Will sighed with relief. It wasn’t that often he was assigned to a radio car. It was an assignment that every cop wanted; the chance to spend the shift sitting in comfort as opposed to walking for eight hours in the elements. Someone must have called in sick.

“Hey, Graham.” he turned just in time to catch a set of keys being tossed at his head. He smiled when he saw Alana, her long brown hair pulled back into a tight bun and tucked underneath her police cap.

“You’re letting me drive?” he said.

“As opposed to letting you take notes? Have you seen your handwriting?”

He gave her a smile as they turned to walk towards the parking lot.

“You look happy.” she said as she sat in the passenger seat and began tuning the radio to the frequency they’d been assigned for the night.

“I had a really good night last night.” 

He regretted it the second it was out of his mouth. There was no way Alana wouldn’t pry further. Of all the officers he worked with, Alana was probably the only one he would refer to as a friend. The rest were just coworkers, people he knew more about than he cared to, happy to let them ramble on about their kids or their Omegas or their money problems. But with Alana, he’d actually open up now and then and tell her something about his life.

Apparently, he’d gotten just a little too comfortable with that. 

“Is that a fact?” she said as he pulled out of the police station and onto the road.

He paused as he considered what it would be safe to tell her. He wasn’t much of a liar; more often he just kept to himself by not talking. He supposed he was going to have to get better at lying.

“I…may have gone out.”

“ _Out_?” she said. “You?”

“It’s not that surprising, is it?”

He turned his head from the street for a moment to see her shocked face.

“Okay maybe it is.”

“ _Where_?”

“Place called Black Moonlight?”

“Will! That’s a speakeasy!”

He set his jaw at her accusatory tone; that, plus the fact that she assumed he didn’t _know_ that. He might have been a social recluse, but he wasn’t naïve. He was a cop. He’d seen his share of the dark side of life.

“I know what it is.”

“ _Will!_ You know better!”

He clenched his jaw further.

“I can take care of myself, Alana.”

“And I’m not saying you can’t. I know without a doubt you didn’t do anything…illicit.”

It was hard not to laugh at that. Was there anything ‘illicit’ he _hadn’t_ done, in the past three days? 

“…but you’re a _police officer_. People hold us to a higher standard. If people see you going into a place like that, they’ll automatically assume the worst. It could tarnish your reputation. Hurt your career.”

“I just wanted to relax a little. Get dressed up nice, for once. Meet people.”

“And did you?”

Oh, he had chosen the wrong thing to say. He knew, the second the smile forced its way onto his lips. He hid it almost instantly, but it was too late.

“Oh my God, you _did_! You met an Omega, didn’t you?”

God, he couldn’t stop the smile. It came back full force. Unable to fight it, he let it shine. The cat was already out of the bag, and it was Alana, after all. If he asked her not to tell anyone, she wouldn’t. And he had to tell _someone_.

“He’s irresistible.”

She gave a short laugh and he saw her nodding from the corner of his eye.

“They all are.” she said. “Though…you seem to have quite a fussy taste. I’ve never really seen you fall for an Omega before.”

“Usually too busy. But this one he uh…just. Captivated me.”

He felt Alana clap his shoulder in congratulations, and it felt good to have someone be happy for him, even if she didn’t know the truth. 

“So? What’s his name? What’s he like?”

Will couldn’t stop himself from describing Hannibal. He started with his gorgeous face and the depth of his eyes, how they pierced right into his soul and _saw_ him, like no one else ever had. He described his fine taste for things, mentioning the steak, leaving out the wine. He talked about how he had lots of friends, leaving out the part where they were more like business associates and that they were all criminals on one level or another. And he blushed when he described how good it felt to hold him, to kiss him, to scent him.

“Will Graham, you sly dog, you’ve fallen hard.”

He couldn’t deny it.

Their conversation was interrupted by the crackle of the radio.

“Patrol Car Seven, this is Dispatch. There is a dead body reported on Baker Street. You should be nearest that location. Please call for instructions.”

Will turned down the next street that had a call box. He pulled over while Alana got out and dialed in to the station for instructions.

“323 Baker Street, Eddie’s Meats & Poultry.” she said as she got into the passenger seat.

“The butcher shop?” he asked, his blood turning cold. Hannibal was murdering a butcher today.

“Yes, the butcher shop, you still in a love-daze there, Graham?”

He shook his head and flipped on the siren, then hit the gas and headed towards the shop. He tried to keep his face innocuous, forcing himself to not appear overly worried. 

When they arrived they both rushed from the car, Alana taking the front, Will taking the back, as they had done so many times before. For a moment everything was normal police work as he examined the alleyway, looking for a suspect or a discarded weapon, then made his way towards the door.

It was open and he stepped inside. It was dark, but he still knew he was in the slaughter room from the smell. The stink of blood and meat wafted up to his nose as he pulled out his flashlight. 

He’d expected blood. It was a butcher shop, after all. He just hadn’t expected so… _much_ of it. He nearly slipped during the next step he took, and stopped walking as he shined the light down by his feet to illuminate a huge, splattering red puddle. In the center of it was indeed a body, half-upright as the left hand appeared to be caught in a meat grinder, which was still…grinding. Blood dripped down from there, over the metal sides of the grinder and down the body, covering everything below it in a fantastic spray of red. Will stared for a long time, amazed at how much like an accident it looked. Nobody would _allow_ his hand to be crushed in a meat grinder on purpose. Will spent a long moment trying to figure out how Hannibal had done it.

He panned his light around the room, trying to put together what had happened from the evidence. He had always been particularly good at figuring out what had happened from the crime scene. He shoved his emotions aside for a moment and let his mind do what it did so well. As he took in the scene the images seemed to reverse themselves, the blood pouring up the body and back into the hand, the meat grinder whirring in reverse, bloody pulp forming into a healthy hand. That was when Will saw the nearly obscured handprint on the butcher’s back, and his mind’s eye watched Hannibal un-push the butcher from between his shoulder blades, until the two of them were struggling. 

He watched more and more of the blood suck up from the floor and re-enter its starting place. The butcher had a slash on his left arm from defending against Hannibal’s knife. Then the knife Hannibal had knocked out of his hand clattered its way across the floor and back up into the butcher’s palm. Blood drops followed it, rising up off the floor to return to Hannibal’s back, where the butcher’s knife dragged across his skin to seal the wound and his shirt.

“You’re hurt.” Will said, his blood turning cold. “He hurt you.”

Will watched the rest of the scene play out. Watched Hannibal sneaking up on the butcher while the meant grinder was going, the noise obscuring his footsteps until he surprised his assailant. Watched Hannibal slip backwards out the door and into the alley, and then he re-played the scene forward again.

Hannibal had gotten his quarry by surprise. He had charged forward and pushed the butcher, almost catching his hand into the meat-grinder right then. But the man proved to be exceptionally strong, and he managed to shove Hannibal off, which started the fight. Hannibal grabbed one knife and he another, and while Hannibal eventually won the exchange, he did not escape uninjured.

Will looked down at the floor again and furrowed his brow. What was it about the blood that told him all of this? It was easy for him to ‘see’ what had happened, but it was sometimes harder for him to pick out exactly what gave his mind the clues it used to reconstruct scenes. After a moment, he realized it was the blood spray in a perfect arc along the wall, the beautiful and symmetrical drops that happened when Hannibal’s back had been slashed. 

He took two steps towards the wall, then deliberately stepped in the pool and ‘slipped’. He fell with a loud clatter, knocking over some metal tools as he went down, landing on his back, soaked in blood.

“Will!” he heard Alana shout from the front of the butcher shop, reminding him just how fast his mind truly worked. It had probably only been five or six seconds since he’d entered the room.

“I’m alright!” he shouted, then braced his blood-drenched arms against the wall, putting his sleeve and handprints all over it in his ‘attempt’ to get up.

Alana burst through the door that led to the front just as he was steadying himself, his bloody handprints now the dominant pattern on the wall.

“Oh my God!”

“I’m alright! I just slipped. Stupid, but alright. None of the blood is mine.”

She rushed over to him anyway, slapping on the light switch before setting down her flashlight to lend him a hand. He made a show of slipping on the blood and nearly falling again as he made his way over to her, and then finally found his footing on a dry part of the ground.

“Is he…dead for certain?” she said, looking over at the corpse.

“Yes. He hasn’t moved or breathed an inch since I got here.”

Alana nodded and stared at the scene, her brow wrinkling in compassion.

“Poor sap.” she said. “Fell into his own meat grinder.”

She gingerly walked through the blood along the shortest path to hit the off switch on the grinder. Will stayed where he was as he watched her examine the situation. She tugged a few times on the arm, but it didn’t budge.

“He’s jammed in there good.” she said. “You’re already a mess, come help me get him out.”

Will nodded and came over. Alana found the “reverse” button and pushed it while Will grabbed hold of the man’s shoulders and tugged. Blood spattered everywhere as the grinder spat his arm out, and then the body was freed and Will was straining to hold it up. Alana slid her hands under his arms and together they got him down on the floor, covered in his own blood, hand missing. It was gruesome, even for police work. There was nothing dignified about it, and Alana looked like she was emotionally distraught. Will hardly saw the man. All he kept thinking about was how Hannibal was hurt, and he needed to get to him.

“Alright, I think we’re ready to call the coroner.” she said. She looked up at Will and frowned deeply.

“My God, Will. You’re covered. It’s even all over your face.”

“You’re messy too.” he said, trying to keep up their usual banter, knowing he was failing.

“Not nearly the mess you are. Why don’t you go home and change? We’ve cleared the place, there’s no danger here. This was obviously an accident.”

God, were the police really this easily fooled? Had he been this blind himself, last week?

“I…” he looked down at himself and realized this was the perfect opportunity to get away and go check on Hannibal.

“Yeah, I really shouldn’t be seen like this. Don’t want to cause the public to panic. And I think my back is starting to hurt.”

“Go home.” she said. “And take the rest of the night off. I’ll tell Jack you had to rest. After seeing this disaster, I think he’ll be merciful.”

“Thanks, Alana. You’re a good partner.”

She gave him a bright smile that was so innocent it made him feel a little guilty. But that didn’t stop him from turning on his heel and marching out the back door the way he’d come. He wanted to go directly to Hannibal’s, but was aware that showing up to the typewriter shop in a police uniform drenched in blood would not be very secretive. So he forced himself to call a cab to take him back to the police station where he could drop the uniform off to be cleaned and change back into his regular clothes.

“Rough night, officer?” the cabbie asked. He nodded, dazed. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tags for this chapter: Injury, medical descriptions, blood, oral knotting.

Will hurried along the sidewalk, hands shoved in his pockets and hat brim pulled down low to hide his face. In his rush to see if Hannibal was alright he’d barely gotten any of the blood off; it was still caked in his knuckles and under his fingernails and he was sure there was still some stuck in his mustache. He rounded the corner to the street behind the speakeasy where the typewriter shop was and yanked on the door.

It didn’t budge, and Will’s blood turned cold as he realized the shop was probably closed at his hour. He backed up and tried to think. He could attempt to go in through the club, but a hundred people would see him, including a bunch of Hannibal’s associates whom he did not want knowing that he knew about the secret staircase that went upstairs. He could try to find that waiter, what-was-his-name, to see if he would send a message up to Hannibal to let him down…

He heard the jingle of a bell and lifted his eyes to see the door to the shop swinging open, though the lights were still off and he could not see who stood behind it.

“Well hurry up, you’re more likely to be seen if you lollygag out there.”

Between the voice and the scent that wafted to him, Will recognized the store clerk from this afternoon when he’d left.

“Thank you.” he said, pushing past the silhouette and into the darkness of the store. He heard Brian close the door behind him and click the lock.

Once he was inside, Brian reached over and turned on the desk lamp. Will didn’t know what in the world he was going to say, he hadn’t thought that far ahead, all he knew was that his Alpha was in trouble and he hadn’t thought past that.

Brian walked to the back of the store and Will followed him, still confounded about how he was going to convince him to…

Brian stopped at the door that led upstairs and pulled out his keys.

“He’s probably still upstairs. He doesn’t usually go down to the Moonlight until ten or eleven.”

Will gaped as the door was opened for him, no questions asked. He turned to look at Brian and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

“When the boss lets somebody out the back way, I’m to let them in again, any time day or night, no questions asked. In exchange I get a place to live and a job as a typewriter repairman, not a bad gig if you ask me.”

Will looked to where he gestured and saw a light coming from under another door, behind which he heard the soft voice of a radio show, and realized Brian lived there, in the room behind the shop.

“Well, glad I didn’t wake you. Thank you.” he said again, before pulling the door that let upstairs open and hurrying up, barely noticing the sound as Brian softly locked it closed behind him.

He burst into the sitting room, the door flying open so hard it hit the wall. It was dark, but there was a light coming from the bedroom. He ran to it, and immediately his worst fears were realized.

Hannibal was lying on the bed, clad only in a bathrobe, which had smudges of blood on it as if his hands had been bloody when he’d put it on. On the bedside table was a washbowl and cloth, both pink with watered-down blood. There were also several pharmaceutical bottles and bunches of bloody gauze among them, along with a spool of thread and what Will assumed were surgical needles.

Will’s gaze then moved up to Hannibal’s face, where he saw his pained expression melt into a smile.

“What a beautiful sight for sore eyes.”

Will’s heart leapt at hearing Hannibal call him beautiful. But he pushed the emotion aside and hurried to the side of the bed, where he knelt down to be at Hannibal’s eye level.

“How bad is it?”

Hannibal closed his eyes and didn’t open them for a good two seconds, which only served to make Will worry further.

“I haven’t been this careless since I my university days.”

“Should I get a doctor?”

Hannibal shook his head no.

“I believe we can handle this ourselves. It seems to be minor; the difficulty is the location. I cannot reach well enough to stitch it.”

“I’ll stitch it.”

Hannibal smiled at his quick response. Will supposed he was acting like an overprotective Alpha at the moment, but he didn’t care. He glanced over at the bloody towel beside the bowl and set his jaw.

“Just tell me what to do.”

Hannibal listed off a bunch of instructions, and then Will began to follow them. He took the bowl into the washroom and cleaned it out, then filled it with fresh water. He brought dry towels, cotton balls, and more gauze, all of which Hannibal had well stocked in a cabinet beside the sink. He realized that he probably did this often; when murder was your profession, now and then a job was bound to fight back.

When he returned he found Hannibal sitting up, the bathrobe slipped off from the waist up, revealing his muscular back and an angry red slash just below his waist. Will tried to remind himself that wounds often looked worse than they were; it was advice he’d given so many people during emergency calls as a police officer. He set the supplies down on the bedside table, then turned to remove his jacket and hat, setting them down on the armchair.

“Will. There is blood on your hands.”

Will looked down at his hands and flexed them, the dried blood in his knuckles cracking as he did so.

“It’s yours.”

Hannibal raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll explain after you’re stitched up.”

Hannibal nodded, and Will continued his task. He removed his shoes and rolled up his sleeves, then crawled onto the bed to sit behind Hannibal where he could most easily see the wound. 

“Turn to your right, so I can get the light on it.”

Hannibal obeyed, lifting one knee to fold it up on the bed as he did so. The action shifted the bathrobe, making it so that it barely covered him, and Will noticed that he made no motion to fix it. His cheeks grew warm but he pushed the emotion aside. He had a task to do.

With practice garnered from years of tending to injured dogs, he gently patted the mess around the wound, careful to leave the clotting where it was needed. There was a little bit of oozing but for the most part the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Once it was cleaned he saw that the cut was only two inches long, not nearly as bad as he’d feared.

“You’d be surprised how much blood can come from such a small injury.” he said. “I’ll talk while I stitch you, keep you distracted.”

Hannibal nodded, and then Will threaded the needle. This he had done before as well, and it was actually easier without fur in the way and with a patient who understood he needed to be still. Though Hannibal didn’t flinch or even make a sound, Will could still smell the scent of pain coming off him as he worked, and so he began to speak.

“I was called to the scene of your murder, if you can believe that.” he began. As he stitched the wound he recounted how he’d reconstructed the scene in his mind’s eye, determining what events had happened from the blood and the position of things in the room as they had been. 

“Have you always had this skill? The ability to imagine past events from present details so accurately?”

“Was I that accurate?” he said, gently tugging on the thread. Halfway there.

“Incredibly so. I believe you have described my encounter as well as if you’d directly observed it.”

Will could smell how that pleased Hannibal, as his scent floated off his bare skin. Pleasantness that melted into attraction, and again Will felt a surge of heat to his cheeks, which he tried his damnedest to ignore.

“I am trying to stich you up, if you don’t mind.”

“I cannot help my attraction to you, Will. If I had any semblance of control over that, I would not be in this situation.”

“What situation is that?”

“Being so injured.”

Will reached the end of the wound and knotted off the end, then cut it close with the scissors.

“Your attraction to me is what got you injured?”

“Thoughts of you are incredibly distracting.”

Will couldn’t stop the smile then. Hannibal couldn’t see it, but he heard him inhale, slowly, savoring the scent of Will’s happiness.

“Well I would appreciate you not being so distracted next time. Besides making me worried, I also had to swim around in your blood to obscure that you were there.”

He saw Hannibal tilt his head ever so slightly, in a way that Will was learning meant his interest was piqued. While Will pressed the bandage tightly to the wound and began to tape it, he told Hannibal about his attempt to obscure the blood evidence of an assailant, thus ensuring that the butcher’s demise appeared to be an accident.

“I never asked you to take such measures for me.” he said, his voice soft, his scent pleased.

“And I hope you also didn’t doubt that I would.”

He pressed his fingers gently along the edges of the tape that held down the bandage, letting them skim along Hannibal’s flesh, feeling the warmth of him. He wasn’t sure who’s arousal he smelled first, Hannibal’s or his own, but within a few seconds it permeated the air, making the breaths he took become thick and heavy. 

“Now I’ve got to make sure this stays on.” he said, his voice soft as he picked up a roll of gauze from the bedside table. He pressed the end to the small of Hannibal’s back and then began to unwind it, wrapping it around Hannibal’s middle. Each time his hands passed over his stomach his fingers lingered further, brushing over more and more of his skin, until on the last pass his palms were caressing his stomach shamelessly as he stretched the cloth to the end and tucked it in, just below Hannibal’s belly button.

Will wasn’t the only one who was shameless. The lump beneath Hannibal’s bathrobe had grown from observable to conspicuous to outright impossible to ignore, tenting the fabric so high that when he shifted his weight just a little it fell away, revealing his swollen, enlarged cock at full attention, not two inches from Will’s knuckles. 

Will shifted his body until his chest was pressed against Hannibal’s back and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Your robe seems to have shifted, Dr. Lecter.” he whispered, tilting his head to the side to press a soft kiss to Hannibal’s cheek.

“It seems it has.”

Will’s heart beat hard as he moved his fingers the small amount it took to brush them gently over the tip of Hannibal’s swollen head. He inhaled sharply from the touch, and Will smelled his arousal bloom from his scent gland, so close to his face. The smell permeated his brain and drowned all his thoughts, making his lust bloom until a soft, gentle growl, almost a purr, came from his throat.

His fingers responded by grasping the head of Hannibal’s cock. It was so warm, and so soft, but so full. He squeezed gently and then began to stroke, Hannibal’s eyelids falling half-closed as his head fell back to rest on Will’s shoulder, a soft growl of his own vibrating through Will’s chest and straight down to his own cock.

He shifted again, until his hardness was pressed against Hannibal’s ass, making sure that he could feel it. A purr from him indicated that he had, and Will tried to coax more of those delicious sounds out of him with his hand. He stroked Hannibal gently, slowly, more teasing than urgent, wanting to excite rather than satisfy. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of him, the smell of him. Wetness slipped out from Hannibal’s tip and Will forced his eyes open, barely slits as he saw the precum glistening on his head, dripping down to slick under his hand and make Hannibal moan.

Then the scent of it reached Will’s nostrils and they flared as he inhaled deeply. Oh, he needed more of _that_. He stroked faster, firmer, and was rewarded, Hannibal’s precum slicking down the side of his shaft, coating Will’s palm and making both of them moan. Without thinking, Will brought his hand to his mouth and licked at his fingers, where it slid down his throat and set everything on fire.

With a snarl of pleasure he slipped around beside Hannibal and lowered his mouth to the source of that heavenly, incredible flavor. He opened his lips and kissed the head of Hannibal’s cock, which got him a loud whimper and made Hannibal’s thighs tremble. The taste he was after sprang onto his tongue and he darted it out, licking over the head, drinking down Hannibal’s essence as it wafted down his throat. 

“Mmmm.” Will said, opening his mouth further to suck the whole head into his mouth. Hannibal gave a shuddering whimper and fell back to the bed, his hands coming up to entangle themselves in Will’s hair. Will chased that reaction, wanting more of it, more of the taste, more of Hannibal’s pleasure, more, more, more. He sucked Hannibal’s cock far into his mouth and licked around it with his tongue, dragging it up to flick at the head where more drops of delicacy slid into his mouth and down his throat. His essence was all-encompassing, intoxicating, drowning out anything else Will might have been aware of. The pull, the _need_ to have more far surpassed any alcohol or drunkenness he had ever experienced before. Will purred and growled with desire as he sucked Hannibal’s cock as deeply into his mouth as he could, his mate lying helplessly on the bed beneath him, his body shuddering with need as little whimpers escaped his lips. 

Will sucked Hannibal deep into his mouth, then pulled up, then pushed down again, sucking all the way. Hannibal’s hips began to rock, his fingers tightening in Will’s hair as he began to fuck his mouth. Will groaned and encouraged it, rewarding Hannibal with deep sucks each time he pressed in, his drool sliding down the side of his huge shaft even as he tried to swallow it all, to taste it all, to have it all. 

He felt Hannibal’s knot start to swell, and he groaned loudly, the scent of his pleasure springing from every pore of his skin. He watched Hannibal inhale and breathe it in, which only coaxed his knot to grow further, until he was having trouble slipping it out from behind Will’s teeth, and Will _wanted_ it.

He wrapped both hands around Hannibal’s shaft and began to stroke him. A cry of ecstasy escaped his lips and in seconds his knot was swelling to full size. Will opened his mouth as wide as it would go and sucked it into him, groaning as he felt Hannibal’s flesh fill him so completely that neither of them could budge. With a loud cry, Hannibal fell onto his side and curled his stomach tightly before shuddering and spilling into Will’s mouth.

Will greedily drank; there was nothing civilized about it. Cum poured down his throat, and he drank and coughed and choked and drank, swallowing as much of it as he could get, sucking and sucking, wanting more, more more. What he couldn’t manage slipped out from the sides of his mouth, coating his chin, his face, Hannibal’s cock, his balls, his thighs. Will’s jaw was spread open as wide as it could go and yet Hannibal pushed it open further, hot, pulsing flesh swelling in every part of his mouth. Air rushed heavily through his nose as he panted, his heart hammering in his chest, his blood racing with fire, his tongue coaxing more, eager to please his Alpha, desperate for more.

More came. Hannibal’s second orgasm was as intense as the first, causing him to shudder and curl further in on himself, until he and Will were lying on the bed like two half-moons. Will was lost in his feast, greedily drinking all that Hannibal gave him, completely ignoring his own needs until he felt a kiss to the head of his cock.

“Mmmpfh!” he cried, and then he felt Hannibal’s lips sucking on his tip, his tongue emerging hungrily to lick at him. He lifted his hands and began to stroke Will in earnest as he sucked his head deep into his mouth. Will’s eyes rolled back in his head as he was overcome with pleasures of every kind; not only taste and smell now but touch as well. Every one of his senses was awash in euphoria, his hips snapping forward as his hands clasped the back of Hannibal’s head, his cock fucking his mouth eagerly, desperately. 

He felt his knot forming almost immediately, and he greedily chased it, his tip swelling so big he had to force it in to get past Hannibal’s teeth, who then closed them just enough that Will couldn’t escape. Desire and heat built up in waves, each one coming closer to spilling over until it was too much to contain. With a scream that was muffled by the cock filling his mouth he came, knot swelling to full size as he poured himself into Hannibal. In his orgasm he bit down on Hannibal’s knot, and with a cry of ecstasy Hannibal released into him, each of them locked into each other’s mouths, both releasing and receiving pleasure of inexpressible intensity, their muffled voices calling to each other with loud cries and soft whimpers.

Will’s second orgasm caused his eyes to roll back in his head and his entire body to shudder. His hands and arms, which he had entirely forgotten about, were wrapped tightly around Hannibal just above his injury. He squeezed him hard, drawing him close, and he realized that Hannibal was doing the same. It wasn’t enough for them to be locked together, cock-to-mouth on both ends; no, their hands and arms clung as if they could lose each other if they did not hold tight enough.

When Hannibal orgasmed again, his mouth squeezed closed, sending an intense wave of heat through Will’s knot and up into his every nerve. He groaned as his entire body convulsed, tugging at both of their knots, increasing both of their desire. He drank all that Hannibal gave him as he felt him do the same; both entirely surrendered to the sensations that burned through them. Knotted together, they were trapped in a repeating cycle of lust and exhaustion, unable to speak, and yet communicating deeper than any words could achieve. They were unable to part, and yet clung to each other with an animal desperation. Tied as they were they were helpless, and yet Will had never felt more powerful, or more complete, in his life.

With a drained, tired shudder, Hannibal released weakly into Will’s mouth, and he knew his body was nearing satisfaction. Hannibal gave a soft moan which vibrated around his knot, and set Will off again, his eyes fluttering as he convulsed, his tongue still lapping at the flesh in his mouth, even as it shrank enough to slip out from between his lips.

Exhausted, Will took deep gulps of air, cum coating his entire chin, his cheeks, his neck, everything. He glanced down at Hannibal, whose mouth was still locked tightly by Will’s knot. Their eyes met and in them, Will saw everything there was. He saw all his life; every day he had ever lived, and every day of his future, and all of it was Hannibal. He reached down and brushed his fingers through his hair, and watched his lover’s eyes close in bliss and affection.

Will’s knot slipped free and Hannibal panted as he caught his breath. For a moment neither of them moved, too exhausted to do anything but recover. Then Hannibal slowly turned around so that their faces were next to each other and reached for him. They entangled themselves in each other’s arms and gazed into each other’s eyes as they succumbed to sleep, too exhausted to speak, too satiated to want to try.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was in the middle of writing this story last year when Covid hit, and sent everyone's lives for a loop. I've always wanted to get back to it, and now I've finally been able! It feels SO good to be writing again. I'm going to be moving soon, so I don't know how soon the next update will be :\\.  
> But for now, have two chapters, and the knowledge that I DO love this story and really want to finish it.

“Radio car three, this is Dispatch. We have a report of an automobile accident on the corner of Baker and Third, please respond immediately and call upon arrival.”

Alana flipped on the siren and Will swallowed the rest of his burger down in two bites, licking his fingers clean before shoving his cap back on. 

“It always happens during our break.” she said, handing Will her coffee so she could drive.

“Can’t people be considerate and have their accidents after we’re finished?”

She gave him a look and then turned her attention back to the road, and Will got busy jotting in the log. 

Even before they got close, Will could see it was a bad one. The lamp post the car had hit was severely bent and barely working, with a few flickers of light raining sparks down on the car below. Alana pulled up beside it and blocked the street with the police car to deter traffic, before getting out to check on the driver.

The front end of the car was so smashed it took Will a moment to realize it was a Cadillac, which gave him pause because a car like that had no business being in this run-down part of town. He started jotting down notes, getting the plate number of the car, doing his best to describe the position of things and of the damage. There was smoke coming up from under the hood, and he wanted to preserve as many details as he could, in case it went up in flames.

“Will! The passenger is alive!”

Will forgot his train of thought as he dashed over to the side of the car that was up on the curb, where Alana had managed to force the back door open just enough to reach her arm in and get a pulse.

Will grabbed the frame of the door and pulled on it as hard as he could, managing to get it another inch or two open, but that was all. 

“It’s jammed by the pole.” he said. He looked in at the passenger and saw an Omegan woman of obvious means, dressed in a fine fur coat and a diamond necklace. Blood was dripping down from a wound on her neck and soaking into the collar. Alana had a handkerchief pressed hard against her neck, trying to stave the bleeding.

“You stay there, hold it tight, I’ll call for an ambulance.”

“And the fire department!” she shouted after him. He nodded as he ran down the block to the nearest phone booth. 

“Operator.”

“This is Officer Graham, police code 4-7-2. I need an ambulance and fire immediately at the corner of Baker and Third.”

“Yes, Officer, I will notify them. Should I also dial the precinct?”

“Yes, but I can’t stay on the line, there’s an injury that needs immediate attention. Tell the precinct to send Lieutenant Crawford.”

The Lieutenant would want to be here in person, no doubt, because it involved someone of such high society.

“Will do.”

Will hung up and dashed back towards the car. The smoke was pouring thick and black from under the hood now, and they didn’t have long before it caught fire.

He reached the back door on the other side farthest from Alana and the injured woman. The frame of the car was bent and he had to force it. The steel protested, giving a loud screech with each yank on the door, but he was at least able to get it open a few inches on each tug.

He had it about halfway open when the smoke started pouring heavily into the car, and Will saw red and orange flickers out of the corner of his eye. He fought with the door, managing to get his foot inside at an angle where he could kick it.

Finally he had it wide enough that he could crawl inside. He reached his hand up to the wound and pressed it hard against the handkerchief, now soaked through with blood.

“I’ve got it. Run around to this side and lift up her feet. I’ll carry her shoulders.”

Alana nodded, her face blackened with soot. Will’s eyes burned and he struggled not to cough. Alana disappeared from the window and it seemed like an eternity before she appeared at the open door. She crawled in and reached down to the floor, grabbing the woman’s feet and lifting them up.

“Okay, I’ve got her.” she said. “Just make sure you keep that pressure on the wound, Will.”

He nodded, unable to stop coughing now.

“Hurry.”

“On three. One, two, three!”

They both lifted and Alana pulled. Will shimmied out of the car as fast as he could, both he and Alana coughing as they stood up in the street, Will carrying her by her shoulders, Alana carrying her by her ankles. He had to use both hands to lift her and so the cloth he was holding against her wound fell to the street, soaked with blood.

“Here, over here.” Alana said, pointing with her chin to a patch of grass. Together laid her down as gently as they could, but the wound started bleeding again anyway. 

“Will, give me your handkerchief.” 

He handed it to her and she knelt on the ground, pressing it firmly against the wound.

The motion seemed to make the woman cough. Her eyes fluttered a few times and her arm flailed about wildly, looking for something to hold onto.

“I’ve got you.” Alana said, grabbing her hand. “Here, let’s roll you on your side to help you breathe.”

Will watched while Alana spoke encouraging words to her, telling her that they were the police, that she’d been in a car accident, but she was safe now and an ambulance was on the way. 

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Alana asked. The woman tried to speak, but only coughed some more.

“She needs something to drink.” Will said. “Your coffee is still in the car, I’ll be right back.”

Alana nodded, seemingly to barely hear him while she stroked the Omega’s hair gently, holding her a little tighter than was professional. Will returned with the cup and Alana held it up to the woman’s lips. She took a few tiny sips, coughing after each of them, until she was able to speak with a raspy voice.

“My brother…”

“Was your brother driving?” Alana asked, her brows knitted together, a scent of deep concern coming off of her. 

The woman shook her head and tried to say more, but began coughing again.

“It’s alright. I’m only asking because the driver, I’m sorry to say, has not survived.”

The woman’s face grew deeply sad.

“Georgie.” she said, though she didn’t immediately start sobbing, and Will could see that she was a tough person, despite being an Omega.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Alana asked again, trying to distract her from the bad news.

“Margot.”

Margot, as in Margot _Verger_?

God he hoped it was some other extremely rich Omegan woman named Margot.

“Well, you’re going to be alright, Margot. The ambulance will be here any minute.” Alana said, the implications of who this was somehow getting lost on her.

Margot shook her head.

“My brother. This was him. Trying to kill me.”

Alana seemed to believe the statement immediately, and her face hardened into a very Alphan, protective expression that he’d only seen on her a handful of times, mostly when it involved little children.

“Then I will stay with you, on the ride in the ambulance and all the way to the hospital. I will make sure he doesn’t harm you further.”

Will tuned her out while she made more promises, his mind puzzling over the possibility of a sabotaged car. He looked over at it, which was now covered in so much black smoke he could barely see it. Flames were licking up from the front of the billowing cloud, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before the entire thing went up, destroying any evidence of sabotage, if that was indeed the case.

“It seems like you have this under control, Alana. I’m going to go back for the driver.”

“There was no pulse.”

“I know, but if I can save his body I want to try. To help his family.”

Alana nodded, her attention already back on Margot. “Be careful, Will.”

He walked quickly up the sidewalk to the driver’s door, took a deep breath, and ducked into the blackness. It burned his eyes to the point that he had to shut them. He felt for the door handle and it was warm, no doubt from the heat of the fire. He pulled it open and it came easily, the lamppost thankfully blocking only the back door. Behind his eyelids he could see the bright flickers of flames, coming and fading again. So it hadn’t yet engulfed the interior of the car.

Opening his eyes for just a second he spotted the driver, then shut them and reached in to pull him out. His lungs were starting to burn as he slipped his arms under the man’s shoulders. He pushed against the car with his foot and pulled the body out, barely away from the thickest part of the smoke when his lungs forced him to inhale.

It was not a good breath. The smoke burned his throat and he coughed immediately. He kept dragging the body away from the car, until it was clear enough that he could see. When he felt it was far enough that the body would be safe from the flames he dropped it, then ran back towards Alana, coughing all the way.

Finally, they heard sirens. A moment later and the fire trucks were rounding the corner, followed by the ambulance. The firefighters got to work immediately, dousing the car with water, which caused the smoke to grow three times the size, though now it was turning white. 

The ambulance medics then rushed over and lifted Margot onto the stretcher. Alana clung tightly to her hand and ran with her as they moved her into the ambulance, climbing into the back with them and giving Will a thumbs up before they pulled away, siren blazing.

Will stared after it for a moment, dazed from how quickly things were moving. He turned around and watched the firefighters, then watched the water running down the street as it left the car and headed for the body of the driver.

He hurried over and pulled it out of the way to keep it dry. With only that to work with, he began to examine it, looking for any indication that this was or was not an accident. 

The man was a beta, which was typical of servant positions. He was wearing a chauffer’s uniform, but he could still tell it was custom tailored and high-end. It was a very rich person indeed who could even afford to dress their servants well. His white driving gloves were dirty, and Will picked one up to take a closer look at it, when he smelled brake fluid and oil.

“You stopped to repair the car.” he said. He closed his eyes and let his memory of the details on the driver replay the scene before him. He was leaning over the engine, the hood open above him, his knees pressed to the dirty grill of the car. 

“You must have noticed the brakes weren’t responding. The first thing you check is the fluid. It’s low, so you refill it. A good chauffeur must also be a good mechanic, of course. Miss Verger waits patiently in the vehicle, not able to see you because of the raised hood. You take the opportunity to check a few other things. Nothing seems amiss, and you would know. The Vergers might own this car, but you are its caretaker. You know it like the back of your hand. You close the hood and get back in, assuring Miss Verger that everything is just fine. You fail to realize the steering column is compromised. The brakes fail again; the slow leak has become a fast one and now you can’t slow the car. You attempt to turn the corner to use the friction from the road to slow down, but the stress of a high-speed turn snaps the steering column, and you hit the lamp post, dying on impact.”

Will opened his eyes and traced the line of brake fluid in the road until it disappeared into the white smoke that was now covering the car and the firefighters alike. What was it that told him the steering column had broken? 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a siren approaching. The Lieutenant’s car rounded the corner and came to a stop ten feet from him, but he didn’t look up nor rise to his feet. He kept his focus on his task, pulling one driving glove carefully off the corpse to inspect it closer.

“Graham! What is the situation here?” Jack bellowed as he marched across the street.

“Margot Verger and her driver crashed into a lamp post. The driver was killed. Margot mentioned that she thought her brother was trying to kill her, and I think she may be right.”

Lieutenant Crawford might have been a results-driven man, but he was also a good cop, and he did care about getting to the bottom of the truth. And so he listened as Will explained that the driver’s glove smelled like brake fluid, and looked when Will pointed to the wet trail of it in the street. He set his jaw, his stern face studying the corpse as Will continued to examine the body.

“Was he thrown from the vehicle? Why is he all the way over here?”

“I pulled him out before the fire began, to preserve the body and the evidence.”

“That was good thinking, Graham.”

Will was too busy squinting at the glove in his hand to notice the compliment. It was sparkling in the light, and he turned it again, then again. He rose up and walked over to the nearest street lamp and held it close to his face, peering at it. 

The Lieutenant followed him and peered at the glove as well.

“What do you see?”

“Fine metal shavings. So tiny they look like dust. This must be from the steering column as it was shredded and then broke."

"Let me see that.”

Jack took the glove from his hand and Will let him, having gotten all the clues he needed to convince him that this was indeed sabotage.

“Well I’ll be. I see it too. Excellent work.”

Will didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t recall Jack ever complimenting…well, anyone. He only ever spoke to him in order to yell at him.

“Graham, I’m opening up an investigation into this. This situation, involving Mason Verger’s sister, has to be looked at very carefully.”

Will nodded, though in the back of his mind, all he could think about was how he had to tell Hannibal. A police investigation into his boss could be very dangerous for him.

“And I’m putting you on the investigative team.”

Will furrowed his brow and blinked a few times.

“What?”

“I’m promoting you. Congratulations, Detective Graham.”

Jack gave him a rough slap on the back, and Will jerked forward from it, his mind swimming. Detective?

“You’ve shown excellent instincts on this case so far. A good Lieutenant can recognize talent in his officers when he sees it. Now I know you’re green so I’ll put you with an experienced detective, but I want your insights on this.”

Will was staring at the reflection of a street lamp in the river that was running from the now-smoldering car. Two weeks ago, a promotion like this would have brought some excitement to his unremarkable life. But now that he had tasted Hannibal, a promotion at work felt dull. Felt almost annoying, even. He didn’t want change in his work life. He didn’t want more scrutiny. He wanted to be left alone so that he could spend every spare minute in Hannibal’s arms.

“You look star-struck.” Jack said with a good-natured laugh. “It’s alright, you’ll get used to it. You’ll appreciate working the day shift. You’ll get to see the sun again.”

“I’d rather not.”

He couldn’t imagine wasting his nights… _sleeping_ , when he could be spending them at the Black Moonlight, drinking into the wee hours and then making love to Hannibal until sunrise. He couldn’t imagine giving that up, not for a week, not for a single night.

Jack furrowed his brow.

“Alright. You can work night shifts, then. Having an overnight detective is something I’ve wanted for awhile, but nobody was willing to do it. You’ll keep your shift. But you’re getting a desk, and that’s not open for argument.”

Jack laughed again and clapped Will on the back once more. He forced a smile.

“Thank you.”

Jack nodded.

“Excellent. Now I’ll call the coroner, and we’ll have the body examined. I want you to stay here until the firefighters finish their work, and then I want you examine that car.”

“Yes, sir.”

Will remained in a daze, watching as the coroner came and took the body, listening to Jack bark orders, waiting as the firefighters packed in their gear. He could focus on none of it; all that was on his mind was that this investigation could lead to Hannibal, and now…he had the power to stop that from happening. Until now, he hadn’t really considered himself to be a dirty cop. But…he was. He was, and he would do _anything_ to keep Hannibal safe from suspicion. Which probably meant he was also going to help Mason Verger as a side effect. He wasn’t sure how to handle any of this. He needed Hannibal’s advice. He needed…criminal advice.

“Alright, looks like they’re done. Snap to it, Graham!” Jack said. “I’ll be heading back to get the autopsy. I want a report by the end of tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jack smiled once more, clapped him on the shoulder again, and then finally left, pulling away with three other police cars following him, and then he was alone.

* * *

Will had examined the car from front to back very carefully, and he’d taken precise notes, including as many diagrams as he could manage. He was still flipping through them as he rode the cab from the police station back to his apartment at the end of his shift. He wanted to go straight to Hannibal’s, but he needed a change of clothes, and he hadn’t seen his dogs in days and he knew they would miss him.

He heard them yipping excitedly even before he reached his apartment’s door. He opened it to seven wagging tails and fourteen paws all jumping at him at once.

“Hey guys.” he said with a laugh, leaning down so that his face was covered in dog tongue. A month ago, this feeling was the greatest joy in his life. He still loved them just as much…but now, he knew something even more beautiful.

“I gotta figure out a way to see you guys more often.” he said, putting his notes down on his rickety kitchen table and walking over to the dog bowls. Excited barking followed him as he reached for the cabinet where he kept the dog food. The flimsy cabinet door squeaked when he opened it, just as it always had. It had never bothered him before, but now that he was spending so much time in Hannibal’s luxurious living quarters, his place seemed rather…dingy.

He tipped the bag of dog food over and started pouring it into the bowls. Seven hungry mouths darted forward to start chomping.

“Has Bev been taking good care of you?” he asked, scratching Winston behind the ears while he poured the food. 

“She has been taking _excellent_ care of them, don’t believe their lies. They are not starving.”

Will looked up to see his neighbor, and possibly closest friend, grinning as she leaned against the doorway. 

“Thank you.” he said. “How much do I owe you?”

“You owe me gossip.” she said, walking into the apartment and shutting the door. 

“Gossip?”

“Yes. Sit.”

She pulled out a scratched wooden chair and gestured at the other one. He obediently sat, shoving his police notes to the side, making sure the cover was closed.

“Now talk. Who is it?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Graham. The only way you’d miss three days with your dogs is if you found an Omega. And my suspicions were confirmed the minute I saw you. Those cheeks of yours are _glowing_. So start gossiping.”

“I…uh.”

The smile on his face gave him away. He actually looked down shyly and turned his gaze away, which caused Bev to give a short giggle.

“Oh wow. You’re not just dating, you’re _courting_.”

His cheeks turned beet red and he couldn’t meet her eyes. He hadn’t thought of it like that. Courting was the behavior a couple engaged in while they were leading up to a bond. A bond, that changed the hormones of the couple so that their heat and rut always came together, and made it so that no other partner would satisfy them, nor would anyone else be interested in them. He hadn’t thought about it because he didn’t know if two Alphas even _could_ bond. 

“I…suppose we are.” he admitted. Saying it aloud made his stomach flutter and his blood grow warm, and it made him wonder what in hell he was doing here, when he could be with Hannibal.

“You lucky dog, you!” she said, punching him in the shoulder. “Now, who is it?”

Will bit his lower lip as he tried to think of how to answer. Beverly wasn’t Alana; it wouldn’t be nearly as easy to pull the wool over her eyes. 

Or, maybe he could just…trust her. At least somewhat.

“I uh….he…um. He’s not the most upstanding citizen.”

Bev furrowed her brow as she thought about that.

“If by that you mean he just goes to speakeasies once in awhile, I think we’re all guilty of that.”

Will’s frown told her that wasn’t it.

“He’s mixed up in something more serious, isn’t he?”

Will nodded, not able to meet her gaze.

“Annnnd he’s pulling you right along with him. I can already see it.”

“Am I that obvious?”

“If you added up all the smiles you’ve ever made before today, and weighed them against just the ones you’ve made since I walked in the door, this one day would be heavier.”

Will sighed and stopped fighting it. He let the smile come to his face and raised his eyes to meet Beverly’s gaze.

“We’re madly in love.”

“I knew it!”

He ignored her and continued. It felt so _good_ to be able to tell someone.

“I want to spend every minute with him, Bev. Waking, sleeping, and everything in between. The pull I feel with him is…well I’ve never felt anything like it in my life. I can’t stay away from him. Even though I know he’s bad for me. Even though I know he’ll take me down with him. I don’t care. I don’t care if I crash and burn into a thousand flames, so long as the time I spent before that was with him.”

She gave him a very serious look and reached out to take his hand. 

“I don’t know what it’s like.” she said. “But from everything I’ve heard about courting, telling you to leave him and find somebody less dangerous will only fall on deaf ears. So just…do your best to be careful, Will. For me.”

He looked into her face and gave her a soft smile. Except for Hannibal, she was probably the person who cared about him the most. 

“I will.” he said. “I will.”


	8. Chapter 8

Will needed to talk to Hannibal. But the timing of everything was terrible. He wasn’t able to get away from Bev until eleven, and by then Hannibal was already downstairs, entertaining his associates in his private dining room. 

This time, the staff at Black Moonlight recognized Will as one of Hannibal’s private guests, and he was let into the back dining room without having to ask. The boisterous and overzealous laughter of Hannibal’s ‘friends’ assaulted his ears the moment he stepped into the room. He hated that he had to put up with this in order to see his lover. There had to be a better way.

“Will!”

Freddie’s eyes lit up when she saw him, and she lifted her glass so quickly wine spilled out and onto her sleeve, which made her giggle. “Will, come here, I have something I’ve _got_ to tell you.”

Will had to force himself not to look directly at Hannibal. They had to be careful in this setting not to give themselves away. It was easier if they weren’t next to each other, and so he begrudgingly sat next to the Omegan reporter.

She started to prattle on, and Will couldn’t be bothered to look like he cared. He focused more on the steak, enjoying the flavor of it, knowing now that Hannibal prepared these meals himself. He was an incredible chef. 

"And _that's_ why I think…”

Freddie’s sentence was interrupted by the door to the room slamming open so hard the textured glass rattled in the panes. 

“Dr. Lecter! My dear friends!”

The voice was loud, obnoxious, and irritating. The man who stepped in was wearing an extremely expensive, cream-colored suit, his hat so cockeyed it nearly obscured one eye. He had white gloves and a straight cane capped with a large crystal, with which he gestured wildly in the general vicinity of the entire room.

Will couldn’t keep his disgust from his face at this tasteless individual, which was why he was so surprised when Hannibal rose to his feet, raising his glass.

“Mr. Verger. It is a pleasure to have you in our establishment.”

Will’s blood turned cold and he steeled his face to as blank of an expression as he could manage. He did not want to be in the company of this man in _any_ capacity.

“ _Thank_ you, Dr. Lecter. You are always such a _gracious_ host.” he said, walking around the table towards the head.

Hannibal stepped away from his seat at the head of the table, and Mason took it, immediately leaning back to put his feet upon it. 

“Hannibal, Hannibal, pull up a chair. I have _so_ much to discuss with you.” he made a huge show of removing his white gloves, tugging each finger twice before stuffing them into his pocket. He turned to Jimmy and snapped his fingers.

“Waiter, bring us our best wine. Whatever’s most expensive. And an extra chair for Dr. Lecter.”

Jimmy nodded and disappeared through the servants’ door. Will noticed that absolutely no one was speaking- not even Freddie, which told him about as much as he needed to about how these people felt towards their boss.

“Why is it so quiet in here?” Mason said. “This is a _party_ , people! Put on by me! It should be lively in here! Waiter, pipe in the music!”

Jimmy walked over to a dial on the wall, and the sound of the live band out on the floor wafted into the private dining room.

“Louder, Jimmy, louder!” Mason insisted. Jimmy turned the dial further until the music was as loud as if the band were in the room with them, and Mason clapped his hands in satisfaction. Then he turned back towards the table.

“Miss Lounds,, my dear Omega, how are things at the paper?”

“Just fine, Mr. Verger.” she said, fluffing her curls with the palm of her hand. “I’ve almost got that story about the pier finished, just like you asked. It should come out as Monday’s headline, as you requested.”

“Excellent! Excellent, excellent. Yes, yes. That pier, it’s just _so_ rickety and in need of so many repairs. So, so sad how Mr. Martins just fell, right over the edge like that.”

“Yes, a terrible tragedy.” Freddie said. “I even got an excellent photo of the broken railing, where he fell through, showing how rotted the wood was.”

“Wonderful! You are always so _useful_ , Miss Lounds.”

Freddie gave a demure smile and took a graceful sip from her glass. 

Jimmy arrived with another chair, sticking it at the corner of the table, where Hannibal sat down beside the boss. Mason stuck out his cigar and Jimmy lit it quickly, not missing a beat, then began pouring the wine, walking around the table as he did so.

Mason took a few long drags of his cigar, seeming entirely distracted by watching his own smoke rise to the ceiling for a long moment, before he put his feet down and let his chair fall forward into a normal position with a slam.

“And this young fellow! I don’t believe I know you.” he said, gesturing at Will with his cigar.

“May I introduce Will Graham, a police officer who is helping further our business.” Hannibal said. Will’s stomach grew tight. He did not enjoy Mason Verger knowing his name, or his face. But there was no way out of it now. He had to play along, or risk a very short life indeed. “He has already helped me on two occasions.”

“Wonderful! Always nice to have a police officer who knows what’s good for him, and what’s best for this city. Tell me Will, what kind of work have you done for Dr. Lecter?”

Will’s entire body froze as all eyes turned on him. He glanced quickly at Hannibal, who gave him no reaction at all, and then swallowed thickly.

He decided sticking close to the truth would probably cause them the least problems in the future.

“Well, I was called to the scene at a butcher shop.” he said. He decided to take a lead from the way Freddie had described her story. “It was a terrible tradgedy. Butcher got his hand caught in his own meat grinder. An awful accident.”

The Omegas around the table gave soft gasps, Chilton looking the most horrified of all. 

“A terrible accident indeed.” Mason said. “Police work is such a gruesome, gruesome profession. You do us all a great service, sir.”

Mason lifted his glass and everyone else followed his toast.

“To Will Graham!” he said.

“To Will Graham!”

They toasted and drank, and _then_ the conversation finally started up. Freddie leaned in, wrapping a hand around Will’s arm, and began drilling him about the butcher.

“I can help you convince people it was an accident with a story in the paper, if you need.” she said, batting her eyelashes.

“Thank you, Miss Lounds. If I ever need your reporting services, I’ll be sure to take you up on that. But this one is handled, for now.”

She looked disappointed and fluttered her eyelashes down towards her plate. Thankfully, she let go of his arm and went back to eating. Will did the same, forcing himself not to look over at Mason and Hannibal, their heads leaned in close as Mason spoke softly to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hannibal nod, and then they both stood up and headed for Hannibal’s private staircase. 

Will struggled to contain the growl that wanted to rise in his throat. He did not like the idea of another Alpha going into Hannibal’s quarters, _especially_ not one who held such power over him. He took a long gulp of his wine and set it down empty, gesturing for Jimmy to fill him up again.

The dinner party dragged on for another hour. Will survived it by getting more and more drunk, which gave him the ability to hold a long conversation with Miss DuMaurier. She was actually a very interesting Alpha, having her own business of persuasion. Her job was to try to convince people to do things the way Mason wanted, _before_ Hannibal had to be called in.

Finally, when it was a quarter to three, Hannibal and Mason re-emerged from upstairs.

“My friends, it has been a lovely, lovely evening, but I must greet you all a good night.” he said, marching over to his chair and putting on his jacket. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Graham.” he said. “And you are lovely as always, Miss Lounds.”

He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, and she presented it with perfect grace, giving him a seductively sweet smile. He grinned and gave her nose a little tweak before standing up again and marching out the door, slamming it hard behind him.

Will felt the entire room breathe a sigh of relief.

“I thought he’d never leave.” Dr. Chilton said. Their was a chorus of agreement and another toast. Everyone took a sip, and then Hannibal stood at his place at the head of the table.

“My friends, I am very sorry but I must call it an early evening.” he said, his face looking dejected, though he kept a sparkle in his eye. 

“Awww, we were just starting to have fun again!” Freddie pouted.

“Miss Lounds, my dear, as much as I would love you to stay, our boss has given me a lot of work to do, and you know how he despises being made to wait.”

She huffed, rolled her eyes, and then nodded, standing up with her back towards Will. She glanced over her shoulder at him, then down at her coat hanging off the back of her chair, and he finally understood.

“Sorry, I’m not used to such fine company.” he said, reaching down to lift the fur coat up onto her shoulders. “Just a cop, and all.”

“That’s alright, Mr. Graham. I’ll make a gentleman out of you in no time.”

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and he forced himself not to wince. Then she turned to leave, and Will took a step to follow her, not wanting to appear to be lingering behind, lest someone guess that something was up.

“Mr. Graham, I’m afraid Mr. Verger’s plan includes you. Won’t you stay so I can fill you in?”

Will had to use all the strength he had not to let a grin spread across his face. He gave as curt a nod as he could manage, and then walked over to the seat beside Hannibal. He sat in it unceremoniously and then watched as the rest of the people left, waiting with a pounding heart for the door to close.

The moment it was shut, he felt Hannibal’s hand caress his cheek. It was warm, and gentle, and smelled _delicious_. Will turned his face into it, pressing his lips to Hannibal’s palm. 

He was greeted by the sight of Hannibal’s smitten eyes, his gaze raking over his face like he was a work of art. A hot blush rose to Will’s cheeks, and it was hardly from the wine. He leaned forward, no longer shy at all, and pressed a long kiss to Hannibal’s lips. He was greeted with two strong arms wrapping around his back, pulling him close. Before he knew it, he was being pulled into Hannibal’s lap, where their lips could meet even closer, each trying to devour the other, their desperate breaths coming heavy and thick in the hazy air.

Hannibal’s lips left his and moved along to his cheek, where he gave a low growl and swiped across it with his tongue. He did it again, and continued licking, sending shivers down Will’s spine as he felt his teeth graze the skin. Then he sealed his lips and sucked, Will’s ears burning even as he didn’t quite understand…until he remembered that was where Freddie had kissed him. 

Hannibal was marking him, removing her scent and leaving his own in its place. Will’s eyes fluttered nearly closed as he allowed himself to be scent marked. It felt _so_ good to be claimed, to be owned. He had never felt so cared about in his life.

The song from the band changed from a lively swing number to a slow, romantic jazz. Hannibal pulled back gently, his fingers caressing over Will’s cheek.

“Dance with me, Will.” he said softly.

Will hadn’t danced since he was in high school. He was so giddy from Hannibal’s scent and so drunk, he’d have agreed to anything. He took Hannibal’s hand and rose to his feet, wrapping his arm around his neck. He somehow blushed even harder when Hannibal put his palm on his waist, and there was no question in his mind who was going to lead, this time.

He let Hannibal sway him to the music, the soft jazz surrounding the air in the room, and he felt like resting his cheek on Hannibal’s shoulder, so he did. He was pulled in even closer, the hand on his waist sliding to the small of his back, holding him tight. Together they swayed, the music filling Will’s ears while Hannibal’s scent filled his lungs, every part of him drowning in Hannibal, in romance, in love.

“I apologize for Mr. Verger’s unannounced appearance.” Hannibal whisper softly.

“I knew you didn’t know he would be coming.” Will said back, his voice just as soft. “I trust you.”

He felt Hannibal’s body tense, and then inhaled a pleased scent waft from him. Will gave a short giggle.

“Did you not expect me to say that?”

Hannibal didn’t reply for a moment, instead swaying their bodies slowly to the music, allowing it to fill the air in the conversation. Will turned his head to bury his face in Hannibal’s neck, taking him in with every breath, his hat getting knocked askew. He didn’t care in the least.

“I don’t believe that phrase has ever been said to me with such sincerity.” Hannibal finally said, his body swaying Will to the music, one hand outstretched and the other pressing firmly against the small of his back. “At least…not when I deserved it.”

Will lifted his head from Hannibal’s shoulder and wrapped his free arm around his neck, resting their foreheads together.

“We are in this together to the death.” he said. “I already know it, and so do you.”

Hannibal kissed him deeply, inhaling hard through his nose as he did so. He let go of Will’s hand and placed both palms on his face, holding him tight and close while he kissed him again and again and again. Will moaned softly into his lips, his blood growing hot and his cock growing interested.

“Take me upstairs, Hannibal.” he whispered.

Hannibal gave him a soft, low growl, and then guided Will towards the door that led up to his suite.

By the time they reached the bedroom both of their ties were undone. They tossed them, along with their jackets and hats haphazardly on an armchair, and before Will knew it he was naked, face-down on Hannibal’s bed, his muscular Alpha crushing him to it with his body, drowning his neck in kisses.

“You are irresistible.” Hannibal snarled, his lips moving up and down as he sucked Will’s neck. Will keened, his skin prickling with heat as he felt Hannibal’s lips suck over his mating gland. Every part of Hannibal covered him with heat; his stomach covering his ass, his chest pressed to his back, his hands resting on top of his own. Will’s cock grew fast and heavy, making him groan and rock softly as it was pressed between his stomach and the sheets. He felt Hannibal’s growing behind him, as huge as any Alpha’s cock, weighty and hot as it fell to rest against his thighs, brushing between them.

Will trembled as he felt it, and he pushed himself up onto his knees, spreading his thighs just a little as he did so, just enough so that Hannibal’s cock pushed between them. They both groaned as he pushed his way through, the tip pushing up against Will’s balls to come out beneath them, teasing Will. 

“Do you like that, Alpha?” Will breathed, and tightened his thighs, squeezing Hannibal’s cock between them. Hannibal snarled and crushed his hands over Will’s, pressing him hard into the bed. Will pushed back with his thighs, allowing his head to be pressed to the mattress while he kept his ass in the air, holding his Alpha up in the most Omegan position he’d ever been in. His blood was fire, his heart galloping in his chest. He pushed his ass back against Hannibal’s stomach, rocking gently into him, encouraging him to fuck.

Hannibal snarled and thrust forward, the tip of his cock pushing its way out under Will’s balls before receeding back between his thighs. Will groaned as he felt the heat of his Alpha above him, and his body shuddered from being teased. Lips on his neck and a cock so close to where he wanted it, his own hanging red and dripping onto the sheets, craving to be touched.

“More, Alpha.” he said. 

Hannibal rose onto his knees. His hands clasped Will’s hips tightly and he began to fuck his thighs, hard. Will smelled his deep arousal and it went straight to his brain, making him give low, soft growls that almost sounded like Omegan purrs as he pushed his own hips back, drawing almost as much pleasure from pleasing Hannibal than if his own body was being touched.

Then Hannibal’s hand slipped from his hip around to clasp his cock. Will keened, losing the strength in his arms as his face once again melted into the bed. Hannibal clasped him hard, just below the head, stroking him in tandem with Will’s thrusts. Together they fucked, Will into Hannibal’s hands and Hannibal into Will’s thighs, both shuddering with heat and want, but also the need for _more_.

“Alpha, please.” Will said softly. “Please, come into me.”

Hannibal leaned his body down to cover Will’s, his chest pressing against his back as his lips came forward to whisper into his ear.

“Though I greatly desire to knot you, Will, that is something we must prepare for. Neither of us are ready for such an act.”

Will trembled beneath Hannibal as he felt his cock push between his thighs, so close and yet such a tease.

“Please.” he begged again softly.

“Perhaps a compromise.” Hannibal said. He slid his hand up Will’s shaft to the head, clasping his unformed knot roughly and giving Will a tight squeeze. Will cried out and precum poured from him, drenching Hannibal’s fingers before slipping down to the bed.

Then his hand was gone and Will whimpered, and then his breath hitched as he felt Hannibal pull his stomach back to slide his fingers between Will’s ass cheeks.

Hannibal pressed two fingers into him without hesitation. Though he was slow he was also deliberate, pushing in far while Will whimpered and buried his face in the bed. Hannibal had been right; it hurt, and anything larger would not have been pleasant.

But this _was_ pleasant, and Will trembled as he felt Hannibal enter him again, the way he had that first night. Will craved it and pushed his hips back for more, giving soft, submissive whines that were so very clearly begging.

“More.” he said. “More, Hannibal.”

Hannibal gave him more. He began to fuck with his fingers, pushing hard into him with the power of his arm. Will keened and pushed his face hard into the bed, lifting his ass enticingly.

“Come back between me.” he croaked. 

Hannibal growled and rose onto his knees. Keeping his fingers buried into Will he pushed his cock in between his thighs. Will pressed them together as tightly as he could, and then Hannibal began to fuck him, hard. He drove his cock in between his thighs hard and fast, his hips crushing his hand as it pressed his fingers deep into Will. With every thrust they both cried out in pleasure, Hannibal’s knot starting to swell as it pushed its way out between Will’s thighs, getting caught on them more each time when he pulled back.

Will closed his eyes and felt the thrust of Hannibal’s fingers in him, fucking him as Hannibal’s pelvis pushed them into him with every thrust. Their breaths and moans were in tandem, their sex in perfect rhythm. Will felt Hannibal’s back crush against him once more, and his thighs trembled as he forced them to keep his ass in the air, tight together as he squeezed Hannibal’s cock harder and harder. He felt Hannibal’s fingers pounding into him, his breath on his neck, the muscles of his abs pushing against his ass, his scent washing over Will and drowning him in pleasure.

Hannibal’s other hand clasped his shoulder tightly, as he worked hard to pull Will into him, crushing his fingers deep into him as he pounded his cock between his thighs. Will heard him give a long, deep moan, and then felt his knot begin to swell, until Hannibal had a hard time pulling it back from under Will’s balls.

“Stay.” Will whispered, reaching beneath him with his hand to wrap it around Hannibal’s knot. He squeezed him, both with his thighs and with his fingers.

“Will!” Hannibal cried, his whole body giving violent shudders as he came, his cum pouring onto the sheets beneath them. The fingers at his hip clasped him tightly, leaving red marks beneath his nails while he trembled.

They collapsed onto their sides, but Will did not let Hannibal go. There was nothing in the universe that would make him let go; he was knotted to his lover and he wanted to stay that way for eternity. Hannibal didn’t move either, still with his fingers buried inside Will, still with his hand desperately clasping his hip. He nuzzled his face into his neck and began to kiss him, when Will gave him another squeeze with his hand.

“Aaaah!” Hannibal said, trembling behind him. His teeth emerged and he bit Will’s shoulder. Not hard enough for a mating bite, and not quite over his gland, but the suggestion of what he wanted was clear. Will’s ears burned at the thought, his own swollen cock throbbing red at the thought. He didn’t even know if two Alphas _could_ bond. But oh, he wanted to try. He wanted desperately to try.

The hand Hannibal had on his hip moved forward, until he was gently stroking Will’s cock. Their arms were a tangle, with Will clasping Hannibal’s knot with his fingers and Hannibal’s other hand buried deep in him. Every part of their bodies was working hard to bring them together. Hannibal stroked Will’s shaft, slowly at first and then building in speed, as he planted kisses and nips to his shoulder. Will groaned and rocked into it, which gave Hannibal’s knot a tug. He cried out softly and came again, burying his face between Will’s shoulderblades as he breathed heavily against his skin.

Will’s eyes fluttered closed as he felt the pleasure of Hannibal’s hand around him and the other inside him. He trembled with need and want, every inhale making his mind swim with Hannibal’s scent. Before he knew it Will was fucking into Hannibal’s hand, which in turn pulled on Hannibal’s knot.

When Hannibal came again he reached up to squeeze Will’s knot with his fist. Will cried out and threw his head back in ecstasy, pouring his pleasure onto the bed as he felt Hannibal join him, their messes mingling together as their bodies were trying to do. Hannibal held his knot tightly, keeping them locked together in three places; by both their knots and Hannibal’s fingers inside him. 

They lay like that for nearly half an hour, each bringing pleasure to the other several times. Hannibal’s knot was satisfied first, and when it went down he slipped out of Will’s grasp easily, removing himself from between his legs. He then pulled himself back a bit so he had room to slide his fingers in and out of him again, and slowly he began to fuck him, squeezing his knot whenever it swelled. Will keened and fell over the edge again, his vision swimming as he rode the waves of orgasm brought on by Hannibal’s delicious, powerful hands.

At last, his body was finished. They collapsed together, Hannibal gently removing his fingers from inside Will, and he winced at the loss. He wiped his hands on a corner of the sheet and then brought one up to Will’s face, gently stroking it through his hair while he kissed his cheek.

“Magnificent.” he whispered softly.

“Yeah.” Will agreed. There was something else he’d wanted to talk about, but at the moment it was impossible to remember. Something about a case.

“What did Mason want?” Will said sleepily.

“Shhhh. Rest now, my love.” Hannibal said. “We shall talk business in the daylight. Right now, we are only lovers, nothing more.”

Will couldn’t argue with that.


	9. Chapter 9

The sunlight fell across Will’s eyes and he rolled over, finding a sleeping, naked Alpha in the bed next to him, only this time, he smiled. He opened his eyes to see Hannibal stirring, and when he awoke their eyes met in as much a love-dazed look as any lovers had ever had.

“Good morning, darling.” Hannibal said, lifting his head just enough to press their lips together. Will moaned softly and kissed him back, bringing a hand up to wrap it around his head. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

Will snorted a laugh.

“If that wasn’t enjoyment, I don’t know what is.”

They kissed again, but then Hannibal pulled away, rolling to hang his legs over the side of the bed.

“I do have a lot of work today, unfortunately.”

“Actually, so do I.” Will said. “And I need to talk to you about it. I was promoted at work.”

Hannibal turned around to face him, his expression unreadable.

“Is that so?”

Will nodded. “Yes. Let’s get washed up, then we’ll talk.”

Hannibal called a servant to bring him breakfast for two, and ordered them to leave it at the door without entering. He assured Will once again that his staff were all betas- none of them would know what kind of company he kept. 

They ate at the table in the sitting room that joined the bedroom.

“So, Will. Tell me about this promotion of yours.” Hannibal said, cutting into his omelet. 

“It’s to Detective. Though I asked to remain on night shift, so I could still spend time with you.” he blushed when he said it, and the blush only deepened when he saw the smile that came to Hannibal’s lips. The only word there was to describe it was “adorable”.

He then went on to tell about the car accident, and it’s extremely high-profile passenger. He described the evidence he’d collected at the scene and how they were certain it was murder and attempted murder.

“Margot has accused her brother of being the culprit. I’m heading to the hospital later to speak with her, which is why I have to get to my shift on time today.” he finished.

Throughout his recounting, Hannibal’s face had grown more and more serious, until by the end Will was definitely scenting some distress from him- a scent he wasn’t familiar with, coming from Hannibal.

“What’s wrong?”

Hannibal finished the last bite of his breakfast and then set his utensils down deliberately, dabbed his mouth with his napkin, and folded his hands in his lap.

“It seems you and I were assigned to the same case.” he said. 

Will frowned, staring down at his coffee cup, which was empty. Hannibal lifted the coffee pot and Will held it out while he poured him a new cup, all without them speaking. When he added his cream and sugar and had taken a sip, he set it down and finally looked into Hannibal’s eyes.

“That’s what Mason was here about last night. That’s why he came in person. He’s asked you to finish the job that his previous employee failed to complete.”

Hannibal gave a single curt, definitive nod.

“I am tasked with killing his sister, and making it look like an accident, yes. And it’s more difficult now, of course, because the police are involved and aware that an attempt has been made on her life.”

“Does Mason know that? Does he know that we know?”

He saw Hannibal’s lips press together in a thin line. While his face remained expressionless, Will knew his scent too well know to be kept in the dark.

“He doesn’t.” Will said. “But he _fears_ we do.”

Hannibal only gave a tight nod.

Will leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and folding his fingers together.

“What should we do?”

Hannibal looked down at the table and fidgeted with the end of his spoon. That alone told Will just how nervous he really was, even before the scent of more distress came off of him.

“While I have no opinion of Miss Verger, and have no sentiment about her life either way, it is certainly better for my career to do as my boss has asked me to do.”

“Are you asking for my help, Hannibal?” Will said. He reached his hand across the table, resting his fingers over Hannibal’s to make them stop fidgeting with the spoon. “Because if you are, I am yours, all the way.”

He saw Hannibal’s shoulders relax and then smelled the relief coming off of him seconds later. 

“Were you worried I would ask you not to kill her?” Will said with a short laugh.

Hannibal gave him a small smile, just at the corner of his lips, and gazed into his eyes.

“I had assumed that, yes.”

Will snorted.

“I’ve already not arrested you for murder, disposed of the body, partaken in illegal liquor consumption, oh and not to mention the things we do together in your bedroom. Before I met you, I was actually a law-abiding citizen, if you’d believe that. And now I’ve thrown all of it out the window. In just a week and a half.” he said. He lifted Hannibal’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it gently.

“All I care about is that at the end of each day, we are both alive and able to see each other. That’s all I want out of life. If I lose my career as an officer I honestly don’t care.”

Hannibal rose and pulled Will into a kiss over the table, devouring his mouth until Will’s back started to ache from the position. He pulled away and stood up properly.

“Just tell me how I can help.”

* * *

Will flipped through his notes as he rode the elevator up to the third floor of the hospital, re-familiarizing himself with the crash. He now had a name for the driver, George McIntyre. He was 36 years old and had worked for the Vergers as a chauffeur for the last 10, no wife, no children. His address was on the grounds of the Verger mansion, and because of that, Jack had decided to make the visit there himself, leaving Will to interview Margot, or at least her doctors if she wasn’t in speaking condition.

“Third floor.” the elevator operator said. Will gave him a nod as he exited and walked to the nurses’ station.

“I need to see Margot Verger, please.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Verger isn’t accepting visitors at this time, Mr…”

It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t in uniform, and that people would treat him differently because of that.

“Offi…Detective Graham.” Will said. “Detective Graham, I’m here to ask her questions about the accident.” he pulled out his badge. 

“My apologies, Detective.” the nurse replied. “Yes, she is in room 306. The other officer is with her already.”

Other officer?

Will walked down the hall quizzically, wondering if perhaps Jack had given her a protection detail, because it was suspected that someone was trying to kill her. As he approached her door he could see that it was open a crack, and heard soft voices inside. He slowed his pace and listened carefully.

“I’m just so afraid…” a woman’s voice whispered.

“Now I told you, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” another replied, and Will’s muscles tensed as he recognized that voice. “I’m right here, and I’m not going _anywhere_. You are safe with me.”

It was unmistakably the tone of a protective Alpha, and it was unmistakably the voice of his partner. Will frowned, hard. It wasn’t like Alana to be so unprofessional. Not like her at _all_.

He waited to hear more, but there wasn’t any further conversation. He made sure his tie and hat were straight, opened his notebook to a busy page, and took the two steps to enter the room, pretending his nose was buried in his notes.

“Miss Verger, my name is Detective Graham, I hope you don’t mind if I…”

He looked up and put on his best shocked face when he saw Alana.

“Officer Bloom.” he said. “I…didn’t realize you were here.”

Alana quickly yanked her hand away from the bed, where it was obvious she’d been holding Margot’s. He pretended not to see that, and walked over to the bedside to look down at Margot. In Alana’s defense, her sight _was_ very heart-wrenching, with a bandage covering her entire left arm and shoulder, and rubber tubing with one end disappearing up her nose and taped to her face, with the other attached to a tank which read “Oxygen”.

“Graham, why are you in plainclothes?” Alana asked. He turned around and saw she was still wearing her uniform from last night, still with soot and grease stains from the fire smudged all over it, as well as her face.

“You’ve been here all night?” he said.

“Yes. I’ve been protecting Miss Verger, since she has stated that she feels her life is in danger.”

“Does Lieutenant Crawford know?”

“Of course the Lieutenant knows. I called him as soon as I arrived at the hospital and informed him of the situation.”

Well he had entirely neglected to mention this to Will. Will sighed. Day one as a detective, and he was already being left in the dark.

“Well good, good. Because we definitely have evidence to support that Miss Verger’s life is in danger.” he said, turning to face her. She looked up at him, her eyes moving much faster than her head, which she turned slowly to face him, wincing as she did so. “Are you able to speak, Miss Verger?”

She nodded slowly.

“Yes, she can speak, but it is difficult for her. The doctor said she is not to remove the oxygen mask under any circumstances, so it is a bit difficult to hear her as well. And Graham, _where_ is your uniform?”

“Oh, right.” he said, turning to face Alana again. “Jack promoted me last night to detective. On the scene.”

He saw Margot’s eyes furrow at that, and he quickly spoke to comfort her.

“Don’t worry, the Lieutenant himself is working this case, and I’m sure he’s even informed Captain Purnell. I’m only one member of a very experienced team, they didn’t just throw some novice on this and not think twice about it.”

He saw her face grow slightly more relieved. 

_Also, I’m dating the man who is assigned to kill you, and I’m actually here to help him…_

Will decided the best way to proceed was to play his part, and get as much information as he could to help Hannibal.

“So, Miss Verger, what can you tell me about last night? I know talking is difficult, so let’s get the basics first. Where were you headed?”

“I was on my way home, from a show at the theater.”

As she spoke Will jotted down the information, pausing her to ask clarifying questions, which half the time, Alana answered. The show had run very late, which explained the late hour. The car had had mechanical trouble, and the chauffer had stopped to repair it. After that he’d decided to take side roads in order to drive more slowly, which explained why they were in such a seedy neighborhood, as it avoided the main road. 

“Georgie shouted something about the steering column, and then seconds later we crashed into the pole.” she finished. Will’s pen was the only sound in the room for a moment, and then it was awkwardly silent while he read over his notes again.

“This is all very helpful, Miss Verger.” he said. “Now can I ask you, why do you suspect your brother is trying to kill you?”

“Probably because I tried to kill him last week.” she said. She tried to force a smile, to lighten the statement. Alana’s hand darted out to clasp hers, practically shoving Will to the side.

“Now darling we spoke about that, and you’re not sure…”

Margot cut her off.

“I don’t care if they arrest me!” she said through a hoarse voice, holding her head high. “I tried to kill him because he’s a disgusting human being, and he treats me like trash, and I don’t doubt he would have gotten to me first one day anyway. If you knew him at _all_ , detective, you would understand that nobody would want to be related to that monster! You should see the way he treats children. He makes…” She began coughing, and Will could smell the distress coming off of Alana as she tried to catch her breath. “He makes them cry…” The coughing fit grew worse, and then didn’t stop. Alana rushed out to get a nurse.

The nurse came in and shooed them both out of the room, and Will was grateful for a moment to be able to talk to Alana alone, in the hallway.

Before he was able to even open his mouth, he felt her iron grip on his arm as she pulled him into the vacant room beside Margot’s and shut the door. She whirled around to face him.

“You’ve got to help me, Will. I’m in way, way over my head.”

He frowned and raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll admit, you did seem a bit…unprofessional towards Miss Verger.”

“I kissed her.”

Will’s eyebrows went up in stunned surprise. Oh, this was not a good development. At all.

“I, uh. That’s unprofessional, alright.”

“You can’t tell Lieutenant Crawford. Please. I mean. He’s going to find out, we aren’t going to be able to hide our courting for long, but perhaps for a bit …”

“You’ve already decided to court her?” he said. “Over _night_?”

He showed as much disapproval on his face as he could. He had to talk her out of this, somehow. Margot’s days were numbered, and having Alana hovering over her would only complicate things for Hannibal.

“That’s how it sometimes _happens_ , you know. Well you _do_ know! You were just telling me the other night about the sweet Omega you met, and how head-over-heels you are for him.”

“Yes, but he’s not a _conflict of interest_ with my job, Alana!”

He was surprised at the ease which the biggest lie he’d ever told fell from his lips. He hardly blinked when he said it. The words weren’t truthful, but they worked perfectly towards his goal- hiding who Hannibal was from Alana while also discouraging her from being interested in Margot.

“I know. I know.” she said softly, biting her lip and looking left and right, as if the empty room had answers.

“But I also know there’s nothing I can do. There’s just this… _helpless_ attraction, such as I’ve never felt towards an Omega before. Will, you’ve got to understand. I saw this feeling on your face just the other day, when you were head-over-heels in love, overtaken, done for. It’s like that. I can’t help it.”

Will rubbed his face with his hands. Oh, this was bad. Alana was so going to get in the way- possibly get herself hurt, or killed…

“Will, you’ve got to cover for me, _just_ until Mason is arrested, okay? I need to keep my job at least that long, so I can keep my position. It’s the best way for me to protect her, and she _needs_ to be protected. Her brother did this, Will. He tried to have her killed…”

“I know. I know it was him.” Will said, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We found evidence, like I said, that this was intentional. But, Alana, listen to me. Linking it to Mason is going to be _extremely_ difficult. It may be a _long_ time before the investigation gets that far, _if_ it gets that far. I don’t know that you can hide this from Jack until then.”

Alana’s brow furrowed as she thought about that, and she started to pace. 

“I just don’t know what to do. I’d sacrifice my career for her in a heartbeat, Will, if I thought it would save her life. I’ve half a mind to do it. To resign and hire myself as her personal bodyguard…” 

If Alana was Margot’s bodyguard, then Hannibal would have no _choice_ but to kill them both.

“No! No, that’s a terrible plan.” he said. “You’re right. Remaining a cop is the best way to help her. You’re already assigned to her protection detail, so whenever it’s your shift you’ll be right there, with her, protecting her. But you’ll also get breaks, you’ll go off-duty and get to go home and rest…”

He could see she already hated that thought, the thought of leaving her Omega to be protected by another was grating against her nerves.

“…so that you’ll be good and rested and fresh for her, for your next shift. And you can stay up to date on the investigation. And we can work together to get to the bottom of this. I’m a detective now. We can do this. I’ll help you hide it from Jack.”

He couldn’t believe he was going along with this. This plan was _terrible_. But he already knew there was no way he’d be able to talk Alana out of courting Margot. He could see it on her face; on _both_ of their faces, when he’d walked in the room. They were as good of a match as he and Hannibal were; that electric, impossible-to-resist pull that he’d always thought romance stories had exaggerated, until now.

At least if she remained a cop, there would be a set time of day when she would be away from Margot. Then Hannibal would only have to kill some other cop. One Will didn’t care about.

He grit his teeth at that one. They had to come up with a better plan.

“Will, thank you.” she said, looking at him with such gratefulness it was painful. “You’ve always been a really good partner, but now, you’re being a really good friend as well.”

She reached out and gave him a tight hug. He returned it, trying to shove his guilt down. They broke the embrace and then he could see Alana no longer had the strength to say away from Margot. She flung open the door and ran into her room, where he heard her whispering soothing and comforting words to her.

He left then, walking past Margot’s room without going back in. Alana didn’t give him a second thought as he passed by the door and left.

“First floor.” he told the elevator operator as he shoved his notebook back into his jacket and fretted. He had to talk to Hannibal, and soon. They had to kill Margot quickly- before she and Alana got in any deeper. The more attached to her Alana became, the higher the risk went that they would bond, and then killing Margot would also cause Alana to die.

He was willing to throw a _lot_ of his morality out the window for Hannibal, but that was a line he wouldn’t… _couldn’t_ cross. They had to figure this out, fast.

Will stepped out of the elevator and walked over towards the payphone in the hospital lobby, intending to call Hannibal…when he realized he couldn’t. He didn’t know his number. In fact, he didn’t even know his _address_. Other than meeting him at Black Moonlight, Will had no way of contacting him.

That had to change. They couldn’t work this murder together without Will being able to reach Hannibal at any time, in case of an emergency.

Work this murder together.

Oh, Alana had no idea what “in over her head” even _was_.


	10. Chapter 10

Will walked into the police station and subconsciously made a left, heading for the locker room to change out of his uniform. Halfway there he remembered that wasn’t why he was here, turned around, and walked towards the detective’s bullpen. It was strange, having a desk, though it wasn’t really his, it belonged to a detective on the day shift and he was just permitted to use it.

Will tossed his notebook down on the desk and walked over to the bulletin board where he’d pinned up the photos of the car accident. Pinned up beside them, under a header that said “suspects”, he saw a very familiar face that made his heart leap with excitement as it’s knee-jerk reaction, and then his blood turned cold as his brain processed that _Hannibal was a suspect_.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, though it wouldn’t go away, and tried to focus. He looked at the other photos under the list- Cordell Doemling and Francis Dolarhyde. All three were known henchmen of Mason Verger, so probably there wasn’t any actual evidence against Hannibal. How could there be? Will knew for certain that he hadn’t done it. 

His eyes wandered across the desks nearby, looking for any files that might contain evidence against Hannibal. A photo caught his eye, and he walked over to another detective’s desk, even more grateful now that he was the only detective on night shift. He glanced around to make certain he was alone, then looked down at the file, frowning.

It was a photo of a murder victim. Her head was turned at 180 degrees in the wrong direction, and a huge stain of blood had oozed through her dress at her abdomen. Other than that, she looked to be in perfect health. There wasn’t a scratch or bruise on her. Her neck had been snapped so expertly she hadn’t even had time to mess up her makeup. The stomach slash had been done afterwards.

“You did this.” Will whispered, recognizing Hannibal’s work instantly. He turned a few pages over in the file and began reading. At first he was looking for any evidence that implicated Hannibal, but determined quite quickly that there was none. In fact, he wasn’t even listed as a suspect at all.

The reason was that she had no association with Mason Verger, or with any crime business at all. Her name was Alice Cooper, and she was nothing more than a bakery owner, found dead in an alley that was along the walk she took to work in the morning.

“Why her?” he said softly, frowning. He continued reading, his mind automatically seeking out the pieces, trying to puzzle them together into a completed picture. The file made note of one other oddity. Several of her internal organs had been removed, the autopsy revealed, including her liver and kidneys.

Will recalled they’d been served steak and kidney pie last night at Black Moonlight.

“Serving liver tonight, Hannibal?” he whispered. Oh, but he already knew the answer. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, turning to face the picture of his lover pinned up to the bulletin board. He carefully replaced the file on the desk, turning it to be open on the same page he’d started with, making certain it looked undisturbed. He walked over to the bulletin board and talked to Hannibal’s photograph.

“Did you think it would scare me away, this proclivity of yours?” he said, resisting the urge to reach out his fingers and stroke along Hannibal’s photographed cheek. “Did you think there was something that could come between us?”

He stared at the photo, his eyes tracing over the lines of his lover’s nose, his mouth, his eyes. Whomever he was looking at when the photo was taken, they were not Will. Hannibal did not have love in his eyes when he looked at this photographer. 

“Back from the hospital, Graham?”

Will startled and nearly jumped, but managed to catch himself in time. He turned around and cleared his throat, trying to look as calm as possible.

“Yes, Lieutenant. Good news, Miss Verger was able to make a statement. I was just about to start typing it up.”

“Excellent. What did she say?” Jack said, walking over to glance at the board, studying the photos. He stood a little too close for Will’s comfort. He took a step back.

“She was at the theater and the show let out late, which was why she was out past midnight. They first had mechanical car trouble only a few blocks from the theater, so I’m guessing the sabotage was done while she was inside.”

Jack nodded, pulling down a photo that showed a close-up of the damaged steering column.

“A logical assumption.” he made. “Head there next. Interview the parking attendant, see if he saw anything suspicious.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jack studied the photo in his hand for a moment, frowning and not saying anything. Will remained still, leaving him to his thoughts until he felt like speaking again.

“Did you have anything else to add, Graham?” he said, looking up.

“Uh. Um. I was just wondering, I see we have some suspects.” Will said, gesturing. “Did you find any evidence when you went to the chauffer’s living quarters?”

“No, no.” Jack said, shaking his head. “I found nothing useful. He was a regular employee, a very good mechanic and driver, loyal to the Vergers. Didn’t seem to be mixed up in any of Mr. Verger’s more seedy schemes. Just an honest chauffer.”

That didn’t answer the question Will needed answered, so he took the risk of irking his boss and pressed again.

“So what led you to these suspects, then?”

“Hmm?” Jack said, seemingly lost in the photo again. He jerked his head up to look at the suspect photos Will was pointing to. “Oh, nothing, nothing. Those are just the usual suspects. Mason Verger’s go-to boys for dirty work. If Mason is behind this, it’ll be one of those three who did this job.” He turned and pinned the photo back up, and then headed towards his office.

“Don’t wait too long to interview the parking attendant. I think the theater show tonight ends in a few minutes, you don’t want to miss him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Damnit. Will would have to go do that now, then return to the station to type up both witness statements, which would probably take the rest of his shift. He wouldn’t be able to get to Hannibal until at least three am, probably four.

He sighed, went to put his jacket back on, realized he’d never even taken it off, and headed back out into the night.

* * *

Hannibal laughed appropriately at the simplistic and predictable jokes of his associates and responded with his own usual wit, but the fun was not there for him this night. He had to consciously force himself not to glance at the empty chair where Will normally sat, instead pretending to be absolutely fascinated by Chilton’s story of how he was able to use his Omegan wiles to procure even more wine than usual from an Alphan smuggler.

He laughed, but his heart was not in it. Will had never been this late before, and the urge to excuse himself to call the police station directly was strong, though he knew better. He had to continually remind himself that Will could take care of himself. He was extraordinarily resourceful. It was also his first day as a promoted detective, and probably had his boss glancing over his shoulder at everything he did.

When the clock rolled around to four am, Hannibal waited another few minutes and called the party to an end, late enough so that no one suspected or even complained. He shook hands and pecked cheeks, laughed and said his goodbyes, and opened the door to his private staircase far more tense than he had any business being.

He wasn’t yet halfway up the stairs when a familiar, tantalizing scent wafted over him and his heart raced in response. Will was here. He rushed up the rest of the stairs and through the sitting room, then stopped in the bedroom doorway to look at the gorgeous sight before him.

Will was lounging on his bed, jacket and hat tossed haphazardly on the armchair, one arm behind his head, the other holding a police notebook. He lowered it when he saw Hannibal step into the doorway, and a flirtatious smile crept across his lips.

“You smell worried, Hannibal.”

Hannibal couldn’t deny him the truth. He couldn’t deny him anything. 

He crossed the room and stopped at the side of the bed, expecting Will to rise to meet him, or at least to sit up. He did neither, instead forcing Hannibal to stoop down to kiss him. When he did so Will dropped his notebook and wrapped his arms around his back, pulling him down onto him. Hannibal growled softly and devoured Will’s kisses, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck, deeply breathing in his scent.

“Yes, I was worried. You’re late.”

Will gave a short chuckle and pushed his hands against Hannibal’s shoulders until he was far enough back they could see each other.

“I would’ve called, except I don’t have your number.” he said, raising an eyebrow in accusation. “And I couldn’t exactly tell the operator to connect me to Hannibal Lecter’s Speakeasy, secret back room.”

Will smiled at the joke, but behind it, Hannibal saw the true worry there. That Will had needed to reach him, and could not. 

“We have both been terribly remiss in our plans for communication.” Hannibal said. “I intend to correct this immediately.”

He reached over Will towards the other nightstand, where he kept a pen. Will reached up and wrapped his arms around him, preventing him from reaching his destination. Hannibal turned to him with a playful smile, and was greeted with a sweet, lingering kiss. It was patient, and slow, and Will gave a soft, gentle moan as he savored Hannibal’s lips several times.

Hannibal pulled back and regarded him with newfound adoration, a feeling that he seemed to constantly be having whenever he was in the presence of Will Graham.

“Now that I’ve had your body,” he said, trailing a finger across Hannibal’s chest, “Can I have your phone number?”

Hannibal laughed. Oh, it was a real laugh, not at all like the ones he’d been putting on for hours downstairs. He smiled and gave Will a peck on the forehead, then reached for the pen and pad on the nightstand. He rolled onto his back to lay in the bed beside Will, and began writing.

“I will trust you to memorize these in short order, then dispose of the list.” he said.

“Absolutely.”

He handed it to him and began to explain where each phone was.

“The first one is the phone to the private dining room downstairs. Only Jimmy will ever answer. It is a safe number to call and ask for my whereabouts, or deliver a message.”

Will nodded.

“The second number is the typewriter shop. Also a safe number.”

“You really trust those two.” Will said, looking down at the list, mouthing the numbers as he read them repeatedly, starting to memorize them already.

“Of course. They are grateful for the protection I provide them.” Hannibal said. “Few others would be as understanding.”

Will frowned for a moment, and then realization dawned on him, and he kicked himself for not putting it together sooner.

“Jimmy and Brian a couple.” he said. “Two Alphas. Like us.”

Hannibal leaned forward and clasped Will’s chin, pulling his face in close.

“No one compares to us.” he whispered softly. Will’s eyelids dropped and he pressed his lips hard to Hannibal’s, inhaling in his scent deeply as he did so. They pulled back softly and Will replied, “No one.”

They went over the rest of the list, Hannibal explaining which numbers were safe to call anytime, which should be used sparingly, which could be used only once in case of a dire emergency.

“Such as the one to my official residence.” Hannibal said. “If you ever call there, the call will be traced. The police have had a tap on that phone for years, and the property is under surveillance.”

“Is that why you never go there.” Will said. Hannibal gave him a cheeky smile and leaned back against the headboard.

“That is the reason, yes.” Hannibal said. “Though I did used to spend _some_ nights there, before a certain police officer began consuming all of my free time.”

Will reached forward and took his hand, raising it up to his lips, kissing the back of it sweetly, like he was an Omega. Hannibal’s cheeks grew warm as he gazed down at Will’s gorgeous face, golden in the soft lamplight. His gaze wandered down the rest of his body, remembering what it looked like unclothed, wishing to make it so again. But they still had business to discuss. That would have to wait.

“I suppose that means I can never go there.” Will said, sadly. “I would have liked to see where you live.”

“This is where I live.” Hannibal said. “All that my heart is fond of resides here. Fine wine, fine dining, and fine lovemaking.”

Will gave him a salacious grin.

“ _Almost_ all your heart is fond of.” Will said. “Don’t forget your work.”

Hannibal gave a soft laugh.

“I am hardly fond of Mason Verger.”

Will raised an eyebrow in an accusatory manner, and Hannibal cocked his head to the side in curiosity.

“Or you meant something else.”

“I meant your _other_ work, Hannibal. Work like Alice Cooper.”

Icy cold fear clawed its way through Hannibal’s veins, and a thick lump formed in his throat. He studied Will’s face for the horror he expected to find there- but it was not present. He sniffed the air and smelled only affection, and saw the playful smirk that pulled at his lover’s lips.

“What recipe did you make of her tonight? Liver mousee? Or did you make it into a pâté?”

Hannibal stared at Will in frozen disbelief. How had he known? 

Then he shook his head and laughed at his own foolishness. Of _course_ Will would figure him out.

“Clever boy.” he said softly. Will gave off a pleased scent at the words, and Hannibal found every one of his guards crumbling, foolishly, helplessly fast.

Will rolled on top of Hannibal, crushing him down with his weight, and Hannibal breathed in shakily, heat rising to his cheeks.

“No more hiding things from me, Hannibal.” he said, and Hannibal nodded helplessly as Will pressed light, feathery kisses across his face. “Because I’m going to find them out anyway.”

Hannibal moaned softly as Will moved down to kiss along his neck. 

“Fuck, I want you.” he whispered, and Hannibal growled, lifting his hips to grind his growing erection hard against Will’s pelvis.

“Then you shall have me. But first, we must discuss what you have learned from Miss Verger.”

Will ceased his kisses and lay his head down on Hannibal’s chest. Hannibal breathed in the scent of his hair, moving his fingers up to stroke through it, closing his eyes as he was overwhelmed by the beauty of Will’s essence.

“There’s a serious complication.” Will began, and Hannibal heard the gravity in his voice, then smelled unease. “My partner, Alana Bloom, has fallen in love with her. They’re courting.”

Hannibal listened intently, gently stroking Will’s hair to provide him with reassurance and comfort.

“She’s taken it upon herself to be part of her police protection detail. Jack’s approved round-the-clock protection for her. You won’t be able to get anywhere near her without being seen…and I don’t want you to harm Alana.”

Hannibal could see immediately how much this Alana meant to Will. He reached out his fingers to stroke them along Will’s forehead, brushing his curls out of his eyes.

“Then Alana shall not be harmed.” he said softly. “A police detail is a complication. But I am confident we will be able to work around it.”

He still smelled distress from Will, and was eager to find more ways to reassure him.

“What else has you worried?”

“We have to move quickly. The way they are with each other…” Will paused, trying to find the words. He lifted his head to look Hannibal in the eyes. “It’s similar to us, Hannibal. They’re a perfect match. If we wait too long, they might bond. And then you cannot kill Margot, or Alana will die. And I can’t, I couldn’t…”

Hannibal stroked his cheek gently, pulling Will’s head down to rest their foreheads together.

“Then well shall make certain to kill her before that occurs.” Hannibal said. “If you do not want any harm to come to Alana, then no harm shall come to her.”

Will closed his eyes in relief, and his head sunk back down to lay once again on Hannibal’s chest.

“I found out some other things, too, that will help you. The doctor predicted she would be in the hospital for about another week. After that, she will be released to go home. Jack has approved the police detail to follow her there, which means there will be cops in Mason Verger’s home. I doubt he’ll be happy about that.”

Hannibal listened intently as Will described everything she had told him, committing it all to memory. 

“Oh, and you are loosely a suspect in the car accident case.” Will said. “You, and two other fellows named Doemling and Dolarhyde. There is currently no evidence to point to any of you, Jack has just listed Mason’s known hitmen…”

“It was Doemling.” Hannibal said.

Will lifted his head with surprise.

“You know for certain?”

“I can infer.” Hannibal said, sitting up further to reach for the page where he’d written down all his phone numbers for Will. He began jotting down an address. “The three of us are whom Mason trusts the most, and if he had not asked me originally to kill his sister, then it was certainly one of them. Lieutenant Jack is quite a competent detective.”

Hannibal finished writing and handed the page back to Will. It contained an address.

“Dolarhyde is a hands-on man. He’s who Mason sends when he wants someone slaughtered in blood. Doemling has the capability for more finesse. He’s who he’d send if he wanted to make it look like an accident. That address is a warehouse where Mason keeps many tools that the three of us use.”

Will looked up at Hannibal with surprise.

“You would trust me with…”

Hannibal reached up a hand and cupped it under Will’s chin.

“There is ample evidence in that place which can implicate me in any number of crimes.” he said, his eyes boring deep into Will’s gaze. “I am trusting you with my life, Will.”

“And you won’t regret it.” Will whispered, leaning forward to press a soft, gentle kiss to his lips. “I am deeply honored that you are trusting me with this.”

His kiss grew deeper, and Hannibal leaned into it, the paper with all of his secrets written down falling to the floor, forgotten for now. Will’s hands came up to the sides of his face, and Hannibal felt Will’s erection growing, his large, Alphan cock pressing hard against his own, drawing a deep moan from him.

“I have shared with you all that I am.” Hannibal whispered, as Will began to undo his tie, freeing his neck, exposing his skin to the air. “Murderer, cannibal, Alpha-lover. And you have accepted me.”

Will smiled sweetly against his cheek as he drew his kisses down lower, dragging his tongue seductively across his now-bare neck, until his lips hovered over the spot that was his mating gland. He sucked on it, and Hannibal arched his back, his arms clasping around Will’s body to hold him tight.

Will’s lips let go and he whispered softly.

“I have shared with you all that I am. Murderer-accomplice, cannibal-accepter, Alpha-lover.” he whispered. “We are doomed to each other, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

His fingers moved to unbutton Hannibal’s shirt, and Hannibal’s hands went to undo Will’s tie. Their garments fell to the floor, covering up the paper with their secrets, until they were naked together in the bed with nothing but each other to occupy their thoughts.

Their lovemaking was very different this time. It was sweet and slow, with Will taking his time to explore Hannibal’s body, allowing his touch to linger and savor, as opposed to their usual desperate, animalistic passion. Will seemed to want to taste every part of him, dragging his lips over his sensitive flesh until his skin was burning with desire. When his lips came to Hannibal’s cock he kissed softly, gently, teasingly. He looked up at Hannibal with clear, determined eyes, and Hannibal realized the difference this time was that Will was sober. Entirely sober, and still driven to want him like he wanted nothing else. The thought made Hannibal’s heart swell with warmth.

When Will sucked him down Hannibal keened, lifting his hips to push himself deep into Will’s mouth. He opened for him, taking the entire engorged head into his mouth, sucking just hard enough to coax his knot into starting to grow. Hannibal’s fingers were back in Will’s hair, roughly, desperately wrapping into his curls. 

He pulled away, leaving Hannibal with a desperate whimper. Will crawled up his body, slowly, dragging his fingers over every inch of his skin. His hand trailed down Hannibal’s arm, where he took his hand and guided it up to Will’s lips. He folded his fingers back and guided two of them into his mouth, where he seductively licked and sucked them, allowing his drool to drip down Hannibal’s hand, making them as wet as he could. Hannibal’s heart raced at the sight, at the feeling, and the scent of his desire and want.

When Will guided his fingers between his legs, Hannibal could hardly breathe. He pushed both of his fingers into Will slowly, but without hesitation, and had the pleasure of watching him close his eyes and tilt his head back.

“Oh, yes.” Will said. “Yes, Hannibal, come into me.”

Hannibal’s blood burned at the words. Oh, how badly he wanted his cock inside Will, to feel his tight, hot flesh squeeze him on all sides, to feel his knot crushed by Will’s flesh. He could see on Will’s face how badly he wanted it too; the need to be close to each other, the depth of that desire. But Will was nowhere near ready. Hannibal was fucking him with only two fingers, and he was already lost in bliss from it. More would be painful, a knot excruciatingly so. It would take more time than they had this night to prepare for such an act.

And Will knew that. Instead of asking for that, his fingers fluttered over Hannibal’s hips and curled around his cock, drawing it near Will’s own. With both hands he wrapped them together, gently rocking his hips against Hannibal’s fingers, rocking his cock up against Hannibal’s as he squeezed them together. Hannibal closed his eyes as he felt pleasure rush through his veins and seep into his nose as desire poured off of Will’s skin. They moved slowly, gently, gradually building up each other’s lust until both their cocks were pouring precum over Will’s hands. 

Hannibal thrust his fingers in hard, then, and Will keened.

“Yes!” he cried, and Hannibal fucked him, fire pricking his skin as he smelled Will’s desire and want and pleasure. He leaned forward until his nose was buried in Will’s neck, feeling his bonding gland pulsing beneath his lips. He couldn’t help himself and sucked upon it, letting his teeth graze over it as Will’s incredible flavor poured over his tongue.

“ _Fuck_!” Will cried, his body shaking as his release spilled out of him, pouring over Hannibal’s cock and stomach and soaking the bed. That alone sent Hannibal over the top with him, every one of his senses inundated with Will, Will’s pleasure, Will’s desire of him. He closed his eyes and moaned, his body trembling as desire pulsed out of him, heat and want and need making his toes curl and his fingers clasp tightly in Will’s hair.

They lay panting, drenched in sweat and release, their arms clutching tightly to each other. Hannibal pulled Will’s head towards him and kissed his forehead, then his cheeks, wanting to kiss his lips but also wanting to let him breathe.

Once Will caught his breath he crushed their lips together with a soft moan, then pulled away to gaze into his eyes.

“I love you.” he said. Emotion welled up in Hannibal and spilled into his eyes. He let the tears well up, having just promised this man that he would never keep secrets from him, and he meant it.

“And I you.” he said softly.

“Hannibal, I don’t know if it’s possible.” Will said, moving forward to bury his face in his neck, his lips kissing gently over his mating gland, making abundantly clear what he meant. “But I want to try.”

“Yes.” Hannibal said. “Yes, we shall try.”

There was so much more to say, so very much to discuss, but none of it seemed to matter anymore. Nothing at all seemed to matter when he was in Will’s arms like this; nothing but Will. All his world was Will, and only Will, and that was all he wanted it to be.


	11. Chapter 11

Will slipped quietly between the shadows of the buildings along the pier, being careful to avoid the myriad of puddles that collected in the alleys after the recent rain. Steam rose up from the wet pavement, fogging the air, giving him even better cover.

He peered up at the warehouse number in the light of the street lamp, searching for the address Hannibal had written down for him. Two more buildings to go.

When he reached it, it was dark. So were the buildings on both sides of it. The only light he’d seen had been at the beginning of the pier, at a bar that was open late for dock workers, or open early for fishermen, depending on how you looked at it. After he’d passed that he hadn’t seen a soul. 

It started to drizzle as he quickly made his way to the side door of the warehouse, where he was met with a locked chain. He pulled out the key Hannibal had given him and stared at it for a moment, absorbing the absolute trust that it represented. 

The plan they had come up with wasn’t the simplest, but it still seemed like it would be likely to work. In order for Will to make sure the police arrested Doemling, and not Hannibal, for the chauffer’s murder, he would need to find the tool he’d used to compromise the steering column of the car. Hannibal was fairly certain it would be in this warehouse. But Will couldn’t just waltz in there with a string of police, because the warehouse also contained mountains of evidence against Hannibal, for other murders.

So they decided the best course of action would be to retrieve only the tool they needed, and then to plant it at Doemling’s house, thus framing him for the murder that he’d actually committed. One of the problems they’d discussed was how to actually retrieve the tool. There were only four people that had a key to the warehouse: Mason and his three top hitmen. So when the tool showed up suddenly at Doemling’s place, Hannibal would need an alibi with his boss to prove it wasn’t him.

So they’d waited until a night that Mason summoned Hannibal to his house to discuss the job on his sister, and that was when Will headed to the warehouse to put their plan into action. 

The rain started to come down harder, driving Will stop getting lost in his thoughts and to focus on the matter at hand. He worked quickly to get inside, wincing as the door squeaked on its hinges. He slipped in and shut it again, then stood still for a moment, waiting for the quiet to return.

The rain was pouring now, pattering on the metal roof of the warehouse, drowning out any other sounds there might have been. Will was grateful for it as he turned on his flashlight and began to search. In weather like this, it was very unlikely that anyone would be out on the pier, and even if they were, they most likely wouldn’t see his light through the rain and the fog.

To his left he saw huge power tools. A band saw, a table saw, an industrial drill. The band saw had blood spattered on it, and Will didn’t have a hard time imagining Hannibal there, sawing a body into pieces to get rid of it. Careful not to touch that, or anything else, he moved through the warehouse, searching for a tool that could have been used to compromise the steel steering column of a car.

After only ten minutes of searching, he found exactly what he was looking for. A hacksaw, recently used as it rested atop a pile of other tools which had dust on them, but it did not. He shined his light on it, peering carefully at the blade, and indeed there were metal shavings stuck in the teeth, and metal dust along the wooden handle. It was even in the shape of a handprint, and with that preserved so well it seemed like the chances of getting a fingerprint off of that handle were probably really high.

Carefully, he set the sack he’d brought down on the table. He pulled on his leather gloves to avoid getting his own fingerprints on the saw, and then gingerly lifted it, taking care not to scrape it along the sides of the sack as he slid it in, trying to keep the metal shavings and dust as intact as possible. He then wrapped it tightly so it wouldn’t jostle around, and then shoved it in his coat, buttoning it up tight in hopes he would be able to keep it dry enough.

Will slipped back out of the warehouse, torrential rain pouring down over the brim of his hat as he replaced the lock. He slinked back the way he came, pausing when he reached the bar to make sure no one was outside, and hurried back to his detective’s car. When he got to it he shook himself dry as best he could and placed the evidence on the passenger seat, thankful that it was still dry. He was surprised at how easy this had been. He’d half expected to be caught by one of Mason’s men, or noticed by someone, or for something to happen to cause this plan not to work.

Yet here he was, with it half-finished, and no problems at all. Now all he had to do was plant the saw in Doemling’s home at a time when Hannibal knew he would be out and call the Lieutenant. Will would look good to his boss and the investigation would close before it got too close to Hannibal. It was the perfect plan.

* * *

It turned out he didn’t have to wait long at all. He’d gotten home, fed the dogs, changed into dry clothes, and was about to head back to the police station when his phone rang. 

“Hello?” he answered, fully expecting it to be work, as that was the only phone call he ever received.

“Hello, is this Will Foster?” a female voice said. 

His brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, before he recognized the false last name he’d originally given the first night he’d met Hannibal in his speakeasy.

“Um, yes. Speaking.” he said.

“I’ve been told to inform you that now is a good time, and to finish before one o’clock this morning.” she said. “Don’t ask me what that means, because I wasn’t told. I’m only delivering the message.”

“Right. I understand, thank you.” he said. She hung up.

He checked his watch. Ten pm. It was perfect. He’d left the police station only an hour ago on the pretense of interviewing a witness, and he knew he wouldn’t be missed yet. He’d go now, plant the saw, return to work, and set everything in motion.

His dogs looked up at him and Winston whined when he headed back towards the door to leave. He leaned down to give him a good scratching.

“Sorry guys.” he said. “I’m in love, you know?”

He put his wet coat back on, wishing he owned a second coat. He knew Hannibal would buy one for him if he mentioned it, but he bristled at the idea of being dependent like an Omega. No, he had his own job, and he’d just gotten a promotion and a raise to boot. He'd just have to make time to buy himself a second coat.

He shut the door and walked quickly back down the hall, reciting Domeling’s address to himself as he walked back to his detective’s car. The rain hadn’t let up whatsoever, which was probably useful, as it would keep people from being out on the streets where he could be observed.

Will drove slowly down Doemling’s street, which contained very nice, though still middle-class houses. He’d half expected him to live in a mansion as elaborate as Hannibal’s quarters above his club were, and realized that perhaps most of Hannibal’s money came from running the speakeasy, and not from payments from Mason. It made Will smile, that Hannibal wasn’t one to be dependent on someone else either. It made Will fall in love with him all over again, which seemed to happen to him every few minutes.

He glanced up and down the street several times to make sure no one at all was coming, either on foot or by car. He pulled the collar of his coat up and the brim of his hat down, to both hide his face and to try to keep dry, then pulled on his leather gloves. Hannibal didn’t have a key to Domeling’s house, but knew it had an outside entrance to the cellar, which Will could get into with some simple bolt cutters. Getting them from the supply room at work had been easy.

He grabbed the sack, shoved it under his coat, and quietly got out of the car, pushing the door shut gently to avoid making noise. He rushed around to the back of the house, thankful that the gate wasn’t locked. He looked for the entrance to the cellar and quickly hurried over. It took him several tries to cut the padlock because it was wet, and he ended up slamming his knuckles with the handle as it broke.

“Fuck.” he said, shaking his hand as he waited for the pain to fade. Oh, his knuckles were going to bruise from that. He was grateful that the gloves protected it from being worse. He hoped the rain had drowned out his explicative.

He got the cellar door open and slipped inside, shutting it behind him to keep the water out. He turned on his flashlight to find a spiderweb an inch from his face, its owner still home. He grunted and swatted at it, then and several others, swiping them away as he cleared his way down the stairs. This was good- he had to make it look like Domeling had recently come down here to hide the tool.

He looked down at the cellar floor and saw it was covered in a layer of dust. He’d leave shoeprints all over the place. He frowned as he looked back up at the stairs and saw he’d already left a bunch there.

“Dammit.”

Crime was complicated.

Ignoring that problem for now, he made his way across the basement to an old workbench that was absolutely covered in dust. There was nothing here but some old gardening tools- nothing that would implicate a man for murder, or indicate that he did anything illicit for his boss. Mason was a smart man in that respect, giving his guys a warehouse to work out of.

Will shined his flashlight around until it fell on a broom.

“Perfect.” he said. He glanced at his watch. It was 10:30. He would have liked to clean all the dust off of the workbench, make it looked well-used, but he didn’t have time for that. If he stayed out much longer, Jack would start to wonder where he was. Instead he slowly, carefully unwrapped the saw and slid it out of the sack. He eyed the workbench, looking for the place where tossing it would seem most natural, and set it down gently. He shined the light carefully on it and was very pleased with himself when he saw that the outline of the fingers in the metal dust was still clearly visible. He smiled. This was going to work.

He then shoved the empty sack back into his coat and grabbed the broom. It would look suspicious to sweep up just his foot prints, so he set to work sweeping the entire floor as well as the stairs. Thankfully the cellar wasn’t all that big and it didn’t take him long. He didn’t have a dust pan, but there was a drain in the corner, so he removed the cover and swept all the dust down that, until the floor was clean enough that it no longer recorded footprints.

He put the broom back where he’d found it, took one last look at the place, and nodded with satisfaction.

“Not even Detective Graham would find evidence of you here.” he said to himself.

He walked back up the stairs and into the rain, careful to shut the cellar door slowly so it didn’t bang. He replaced the padlock with another one he’d brought- also taken from the supply room at work, and shoved the broken one into his pocket.

He let himself get soaked now, taking his hat off to let the rain pour down and wash all the basement dust off of him. He looked down at the ground and frowned at his own footprints in the mud- but he would take care of that later, when he returned with Jack.

Then he got into his car and drove away, hiding the sack in his glovebox. 

It had all been so _easy_. Well- no, it had been a lot of careful planning and hard work- but he’d half expected something to go wrong, somehow. Or for his nerves to get to him. Or his conscience. None of that happened; and he drove to the police station without a single regret. Framing a murderer for a murder he actually committed was hardly morally wrong, after all. Not that Will had many morals left, these days.

* * *

Convincing Jack to search Doemling’s house had been even easier than he’d thought it would be. 

“I went back to interview the parking lot attendant again. He had more to say, but he insisted it not be on the record. He made me swear up and down I wouldn’t file it in my official report.” Will said. “He’s afraid for his life, if he talks. So I can only tell you this verbally, Lieu. And if it comes up in the court of law, that attendant will deny he said a word.”

Jack nodded, his face extremely serious, as he listened to what Will told him “in confidence”.

“He indeed saw a suspicious figure, lurking between the cars during the show. He described him to me. Bald on the top of his head, hair on the sides, and with a round face, he said.”

Jack nodded again, then walked over to the cork board where the three suspects’ photos were pinned. He reached up and pulled Doemling’s photo down.

“Like him?”

“Oh, yes, he definitely fits the description.” Will said, taking the photo. “That could definitely be who he saw.”

Jack shoved the photo into Will’s hands.

“Then let’s not waste time. I’ll get the warrant and we’ll go to his house, see what we find. Good work, Will.”

Will had to struggle not to smile as he watched Jack walk towards his office. This was almost too easy.

* * *

Jack drove, with Will in the passenger seat pretending to look over the file. Two marked police cars followed behind them, each with two officers. They kept their sirens off, not wanting to spook the suspect into fleeing. Will glanced at his watch. Midnight. Doemling wouldn’t be home for another hour. This was perfect.

They parked in front of his house and six cops poured onto Doemling’s property. Before long they’d smashed in the front door and began searching the place, tossing aside furniture cushions and pulling drawers completely out, setting them on the floor. Will pretended to look for a short time, then offered to search the yard. Since it was pouring rain nobody objected to letting him do it. He walked down the front steps and then re-traced his own muddy footprints from earlier, making there be a completely plausible reason now why his footprints would be in the mud of Doemling’s yard.

Once he reached the cellar doors he continued walking around to the back door and knocked on it. One of the officers opened it for him.

“Tell Jack there’s a cellar, and it’s got a brand new lock on it.”

He then re-entered the house and began helping the officer search the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, Jack burst through the kitchen door with the hacksaw in his hands, a sack draped over it to protect it from the rain. He set it down on the kitchen counter and called for fingerprint dust. Will stopped his searching along with the other officers as they all watched him work, and a satisfied smile spread across Jack’s face as the fingerprints on the handle were revealed.

“We got him!” he said, pounding his fist on the counter in satisfaction. “Dennison! Bring me the fingerprint camera. Graham, watch and learn.”

Will took a few steps forward and listened while Jack explained to him how to use the fingerprint camera, showing him how to set it up on the tripod, measure the correct distance to the image for the focal length, make sure the lighting was accurate.

“We do this at the crime scene, because transporting the evidence can smudge the prints. You have to be very careful transporting evidence as fragile as fingerprints.”

Will nodded. Oh, he knew all about that. The satisfaction of watching Jack reap the benefits of Will’s work went deep, and he had to struggle not to smile at how good it felt to pull the wool over Jack’s eyes. At how _easy_ it was. At the power it gave him. Learning about detective techniques would be invaluable in helping Hannibal get away with as many murders and other crimes as he liked. A flush rose to Will’s cheeks at the thought, and he hoped nobody noticed it in the dim light of the kitchen.

“There. The evidence is preserved. Boys, wrap this up and transport it back to the station. You two, stay here with Will and I while we wait for Doemling to come home so we can arrest him.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jack turned to Will and gave him a hard slap on the back.

“Good work, Graham.”

He turned and left, barking orders at the officers as they carried things to and from the police cars. Will remained alone in the kitchen and turned to face the window, because he could no longer hide the smile from his face.

They had done it. They’d gotten Doemling nailed for trying to kill Margot, and within an hour he’d be arrested and in custody. Mason would pay the bail, of course, so that when Hannibal actually succeeded in killing her, Doemling would be the prime suspect. He’d take the fall for both murders, Hannibal would fly under the radar, and Will would close his very first case as a detective.

Everything was going perfectly.

* * *

Will glanced over at the holding cell over the top of his typewriter. Cordell Doemling was lying peacefully on the cot, face toward the wall, seemingly entirely unconcerned by the fact that he was currently in a jail cell. That was only because he didn’t yet know that the police had actual evidence against him- because he didn’t yet know that Will had planted the hacksaw in his basement. Will smirked to himself as he continued typing up the report, making sure to mention how it was Jack who found the saw in the basement, and Will had never even gone down there.

His desk phone rang. Will picked it up, thinking it was probably Jack calling him from his office.

“Detective Graham.”

“Will, I’m so glad I found you.”

“Alana?”

“Yes. I haven’t been able to reach you all day. You weren’t at home and when I called work they said you were out on interviews…”

“I sleep all day. I work night shift, you know.”

“Ha ha.” 

“What’s going on, Bloom?”

Alana gave a shaky sigh.

“Margot’s doctors are saying she’s recovered enough to go home. She’s being released first thing in the morning, 8am.”

“That’s great news.” he said. “I’m glad she’s feeling better.”

“She’s scared to go home, Will. Terrified for her life. Tell me you have good news.”

Will could hear the emotion in her voice and his heart choked up, just a little. It would be very rough for Alana when Margot was dead, that was for sure. But they weren’t bonded. She would get over it. Eventually.

“Well, some good and some bad. We’ve arrested the man who did the job.” he said, making sure to keep his voice low so Doemling wouldn’t hear him. “His name’s Cordell Doemling. The evidence we found is pretty solid. He’s going to go away for it, that’s for certain.”

“And the bad news?”

Will paused to take in a breath, to try to make himself sound as concerned as possible.

“There was nothing to link it back to Mason. He’s not talking. Though when the bank opens in the morning the day shift is going to comb through his accounts, see if they can link a payment _to_ Doemling, and then see if they can link where it came from back to Mason…”

That was a long shot, and she knew it.

“Okay. Will, listen. This is the plan. I’m telling you because you’re the only person I really trust right now.”

Will’s blood turned cold. Part of him wanted to tell her not to- anyone could be listening in over the phone. But if Hannibal didn’t complete this job, there was no telling what Mason might try to do to him. He had evidence against Hannibal going back _years_ ; he could easily get him convicted for life. Will couldn’t take any chances. Margot had to die.

“There’s no way to hide from Mason that she’s released from the hospital; he’s paying the bill, of course. So tomorrow I’m going with Margot to the Verger mansion, as her police detail. She’ll greet Mason so he sees she’s there, and sees that she has police protection. Then she will pack a trunk and leave for her vacation cottage an hour outside the city, claiming it’ll be a quieter place for her to recover. That way she won’t have any of Mason’s servants or goons around; it’ll just be her and her police detail. It’s the best way we can think of to keep her safe from him, while you continue to build the case against him.”

Will pressed his lips into a flat line. Of course he wasn’t going to be building any case against Mason Verger. By this time tomorrow, Margot would be dead, and this entire mess would be over.

Of course, having Margot alone in an isolated cottage, with only one cop with her, would make it _very_ easy for Hannibal to get the job done.

“That sounds like a good plan.” he said. “Do you know the address? I can swing by tomorrow to check on the two of you.”

The lie slipped through his lips as easily as Hannibal’s wine. 

“Oh, that would be great Will. You really are a good friend.”

A tiny bit of guilt sprung up his throat and gave him a taste of bitterness.

By the time he finished copying down the address, it was gone.

“Oh, I’ve got to go, the nurse is here. Thanks again, Will.”

“You bet.”

He hung up and stared at the phone for just a little bit too long. Then he folded the paper with the address and shoved it into his pocket, and went back to typing up the arrest report.

Not half an hour later, Jack slammed his phone down so hard Will heard it through the closed door. Then he threw it open and stormed towards the jail cells, yanking his key ring off his belt.

“Get up, Doemling. Your bail’s been posted.”

Cordell sat up slowly, looking as relaxed as you please, and leaned his back against the wall while he waited for Jack to get the lock open.

“Oh, that’s good news. Who posted it?”

“ _Anonymous_.” Jack said. “Aren’t you lucky today.”

“Yes, very lucky.” His grin was devilish.

Will hadn’t been aware Jack’s frown could frown…harder, but he managed, somehow. He swung the jail door open with a glower, and gestured for Cordell to step out. He did so, tipped his hat at Jack, and headed for the front door. Will did his best to keep his eyes on his typing, not showing any interest whatsoever in the commotion. He also forced his face to remain placid and slightly bored, not wanting to give away how perfectly this worked into his and Hannibal’s plans.

The front door of the police station slammed shut, and the patsy for Margot’s murder walked out onto the street, free as a bird and ready to be framed.


End file.
